MEDIA RELEASE — date of release: 3 March 2014
Farmers across the country are working hard to feed Australia fairly, but they are not being given a fair go.
What is not fair are the negative impacts on Australian farmers of cheap imports, centralized market control, overly-burdensome regulations and the rampant expansion of the fracking industry. It’s a tough time to be an Australian farmer.
Two months ago, #agchatoz hosted one of its Tuesday night chats on the topic of farmer representation.
The overwhelming sentiment amongst the many hundreds of Australian farmers who participated that night was that the old voices were not adequately representing the interests of farmers.
“It’s time for farmers’ voices to be heard”, said rare-breed pig farmer Tammi Jonas of Jonai Farms in Victoria.
“Fair Food Farmers United is a platform to connect, support and provide a united voice for farmers feeding Australia fairly.
“Fair Food Farmers United will fight for a viable future for Australian farmers selling into domestic markets.
“Together, we will provide a platform for farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing. We will advocate for farmer-friendly regulations and standards.
“Farmers need to unite around the impacts of imports on their markets. We need a strong and independent voice to tackle the centralised control over the supply chain.
“For the past four years the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) has been campaigning strongly for a fair food future for all Australians through the Peoples’ Food Plan, Fair Food Week and other ground-breaking initiatives.
“AFSA is part of a global movement for food sovereignty uniting over 200 million farmers in 80 countries. It is a movement created and led by farmers.
“Today, the farmer members of AFSA are acting on their desire for a strong and independent voice for farmers.
“Fair Food Farmers United is an initiative whose time has come,” said Ms Jonas.
FOR INTERVIEW:
Fair Food Farmers Unite:
- Tammi Jonas 0422 429 362
Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance:
- Michael Croft M: 0413 387 686
E: Michael.croft@afsa.org.au - Dr Nick Rose M: 0429 496 792
