Southern Riverina Irrigators, Ricegrowers Association of Australia and Kagome spent an afternoon at Parliament House in Sydney last week, presenting to state MPs the dire impact basin reform and the stripping of water away from our community has had on our region.
Supported by Independent Member for Murray Helen Dalton, and also featuring first-hand testimony from Deni producer Sharni Lundie, the presentation was an extension of the Highway to Hell Basin Plan Forum held in Barham in March.
SRI CEO Sophie Baldwin said the true impacts of the Basin Plan have either been ignored or socialised by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in their many reports over many years.
She said this recent trip to Sydney was about getting the real message out.
“We really are at a critical juncture here, and this year has been a perfect example of the future that lies ahead – high water prices resulting in reduced productivity and yields which flows into business, processing and jobs.
“We will not stop, and we will continue to advocate for our farmers, our communities and our region which has been so severely impacted.”
Kagome general manager of field operations Chris Taylor told the room the business has the capacity to process 250,000 tonnes of tomatoes, but is currently sitting around 155,000 tonnes. About 94 per cent of that product is used domestically.
As an employer of 153 permanent staff and around 350 seasonal staff, Kagome puts $27 million in wages back into the community while generating $112 million in Australia. Of that, $104 million stays in the Southern Riverina and northern Victoria.
Kagome has had to move the business out of northern Victoria and into the Riverina due to the high cost of water. This relocation has cost about $11.3 million.
In 2009 Kagome had 15 independent growers, today there is just three.
The story is very much the same for the rice industry, with the future of the $400 million industry and 600 jobs across the region in jeopardy.
RGA vice president Monica Morona told the room there is hope and resilience, but there must be support from policy.
She said 500 Riverina growers proudly feed 20 million people, but there must be change for that to continue in the future.
Importantly, she said the MDBA had stated additional environmental water recovery will not deliver additional environmental outcomes.
She called for a change from a water recovery plan to a water management plan.
Third generation farmer Sharni Lundie spoke about the importance of farming families to local communities and how proud she is to feed the world.
She said the Riverina produces the staple foods we eat every day.
“For those MPs in the room, the messages delivered were stark and heartfelt,” Ms Baldwin said.
“Every single person who spoke, including Helen, stressed the severity of the situation.
“We all called for an end to all water reform under the Basin Plan, including buybacks.”
The group intends to also take the presentation to Melbourne and Canberra in June.
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