Horticulture industry stalwart warns Albanese Government’s biosecurity levy will lead to higher food prices

Horticulture industry expert and Australian Biosecurity Award recipient Trevor Ranford has ramped up calls for the Albanese Government to bin its new biosecurity levy, labelling it an “insidious burden on farmers”. In a blistering statement, Mr Ranford said the levy, which will raise about $50 million a year from July 1, was a tax in disguise and “a kick in the guts” for primary producers. “This new tax is nothing more than double dipping by the Government to try and improve their budget bottom line,” he said. “Any benefits … will quickly disappear as growers will pass on the impost through the supply chain, resulting in the increasing upward cost spiral of food continuing for Australian households.” The plant industry alone contributed $12.5m towards Australian biosecurity in 2022-23, as well as additional contributions to research, development and extension, and in-kind contributions by growers to maintain on-farm biosecurity. “All primary producers have been paying their share for Australian biosecurity for the past 26 years since the Plant Health Australia and Animal Health Australia organisations were formed,” Mr Ranford said. “These businesses have invested in dealing with biosecurity as part of their day-to-day routine — managing endemic and exotic pests and diseases, on-farm surveillance, on-farm biosecurity and much more.” Mr Ranford has been involved in the horticulture industry for 46 years, including as an independent consultant, and said he had never seen Australian primary producers “in such bad shape”. He said high production costs and the soaring cost of living, increased levels of legislation and regulation for labour and industrial relations, and increased incidences of exotic pests and diseases had contributed to the dire situation. “And now the straw that will break the camel’s back — a $50 million annual biosecurity tax,” he said. “We are seeing large numbers of growers walking away and the primary production sector has some of the highest levels of suicide. “This millstone around the necks of Australian primary producers must be removed by the Prime Minister if the Government is serious about its stated goal of an industry worth $100 million by 2030”. Mr Ranford was awarded the Australian Biosecurity Award for industry in 2022 for his contribution to the management of the national chestnut blight emergency response from 2010 to 2020. In announcing the award, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said Mr Ranford had been “instrumental” in ensuring “practical outcomes for industry for the long-term management of chestnut blight”. “Trevor and the chestnut industry were adamant that chestnut blight could be eradicated, despite many views that it could not,” DAFF said. He was also involved in the national emergency response to khapra beetle from 2020 to 2022. The biosecurity protection levy was announced in the previous Federal Budget and will be charged to all producers in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. It is part of an overhauled biosecurity funding model designed to lock in consistent funding to protect Australia’s $90b agriculture sector from pests and diseases. Legislation to implement the levy is set to be introduced in Federal Parliament in the coming weeks.