Food Sovereignty Alliance calls for tighter controls on foreign ownership and control of Australian farmland

Australian farmers and communities lose while transnational corporations profit

17 February 2014

Debate rages about whether Australia should allow foreign investment in agricultural land. Transnational agribusinesses and financial institutions are acquiring stakes in agricultural land and infrastructure in land-rich countries around the world including Australia but to what benefit to local economies and communities?

Michael Croft, President of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) will argue at a St James Ethic Centre debate on 4 March 2014 that foreign investment in agricultural land and infrastructure works against Australia’s national and best interests unless the regulatory system and current model are changed.

[quote author="...argues Mr Croft" image="https://afsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Michael-Croft_original.jpg" w="170" h="170" image_align="left"]There is an alternative – there is always an alternative.

Why aren’t we selling the food and not the farm?

Why don’t we prioritise the well-being of our communities, and the integrity of our soils and waterways, above the profit interests of transnational capital?

History and experience shows that the latter almost always comes at the expense of the former. These are the questions we have to be asking ourselves, as a matter of urgency.[/quote]

Media release

[button_link url="https://afsa.org.au/afsa-home/" target="" background="#98CC66" style="" title="" class="icon-download-alt" id="" onclick=""] Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land — 18 Feb. 2014 (pdf) [/button_link]

Interviews

Contact Michael Croft on 0413 387 686.

Event

[button_link url="https://afsa.org.au/events/foreign-investment-in-agricultural-land-and-infrastructure-should-be-strictly-limited/" target="" style="" background="#98CC66" title="" class="" id="" onclick=“”]View event details[/button_link]