‘‘We’re a democratic organisation, in that our members tell us what to do,’’ Mr Jackson said.
‘‘This meeting is about identifying, and advocating for, the needs of those members.’’
Foremost of which, Mr Jackson admitted, was a shortage of labour.
‘‘The truth is we didn’t realise how reliant we were on itinerant workers,’’ he said.
‘‘That means we’re going to have to get a lot more creative with making agricultural jobs attractive to workers — which was never an issue in Australia until COVID hit.’’
About 100,000 itinerant or migrant workers have been lost since the beginning of the pandemic.
In addition, recent changes to industrial relations laws, Mr Jackson says, have created a barrier for older workers from the industry.
‘‘The Fair Work Commission’s change to piecemeal rates discriminates against grey nomads and retired people who may just want to work for a couple hours at a time, which is unsustainable on an hourly wage,’’ he said.
Responding to last Tuesday’s budget announcement, Mr Jackson claimed rising inflation to be the biggest takeaway for farmers.
‘‘Input costs are on the rise, the price of fertiliser is skyrocketing, the price of diesel is going up, not to mention labour costs,’’ he said.
‘‘Don’t get me wrong there is a lot of potential for growth, but right now? It’s a big risk to take.’’
NSW Farmers did welcome the Federal Government’s decision to halve the excise tax for fuel — which is expected to make a difference of 22 cents per litre at the bowser.
Though not subject to excise when operating farming machinery, the reduction will greatly reduce rising shipping costs.
Little has been done for other commodities however.
The price of Roundup — a common herbicide — has increased from $4.50 per litre, to just over $13 a litre — a four-fold increase since 2020.
The nitrogen-based fertiliser urea has seen similar growth, with prices skyrocketing from $500 to over $1500 per tonne as of December.
Ahead of the federal election, NSW Farmers will continue lobbying government for the regulation and licensing of floodplain harvesting, and equitable treatment for farmers under the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
‘‘Everyone agrees this should be metered, you can’t expect to manage a resource when you don’t even know how much there is in the first place,’’ said Mr Jackson.
‘‘And I’m not trying to demonise cotton growers, they’re an important part of this industry.
‘‘What we are trying to do is win equitable treatment for their peers to the south.’’
