AgForce has congratulated Queensland-based Ministers David Littleproud and Keith Pitt on their new portfolios and looks forward to further strengthening our relationships with their critical portfolios.

CEO Michael Guerin welcomed Minister Littleproud back into the agriculture portfolio, saying his retention of drought and emergency management made a “powerful portfolio as far as Queensland’s primary producers go”.

“AgForce has a very constructive and collaboration with Minister Littleproud across all these responsibilities, and know he will support Queensland agriculture’s drive to become a sustainable $30 billion industry by the end of the decade,” Mr Guerin said.

“The appointment of Minister Pitt, with whom we have worked closely for many years as Member for Hinkler, to the water, resources and northern Australia portfolios also makes him a key stakeholder for agriculture.

“It is significant that both Ministers not only come from major agricultural areas but, as Queenslanders ‘get’ the needs of our State and, in particular, of rural and regional communities.”

General President Georgie Somerset said she hoped that AgForce’s long and successful history of working with the Ministers, combined with their knowledge of agriculture and regional communities, gave the industry a head start in achieving its key objectives.

“We anticipate that Minister Littleproud will continue to demonstrate strong support for producers affected by extreme weather, during both the event and the recovery phase, Mrs Somerset said.

"We believe an important additional measure would be wage support for farmworkers to ensure they can remain in their local communities.

“We also hope the Minister continues to champion the exclusion fencing program to protect small livestock from predation, a project that is already seeing a resurgence in the State’s once-thriving sheep and wool industry.

“In new work that needs to be done, it has never been more important to finalise and implement the biosecurity import levy to help fund our essential biosecurity surveillance and preparedness.

“And we implore the Minister to initiate an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission into the effect of monopoly players in the grains supply chain.”

Video statement by Mr Guerin available via Dropbox
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vcj687y7ewimiqr/AACgvj2as2sYVfGxe-khhyoxa?dl=0

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Media contact: David Vogler 0418 733 102