The National Food Security Green Paper released today by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute is a wake-up call and highlights Australia’s critical food security challenges, industry body GrainGrowers said today.
GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel said increased global instability highlights the exposure to a wide range of supply chain disruptions, that individually and collectively can adversely impact Australia’s overall food security.
“Trade conflicts, climate change and geopolitical events can all disrupt access to the very things like fuel, chemicals and fertiliser that we rely on for our farming systems and for our food production.”
Ms Gawel said the release of the Green Paper was timely given the recent commitment by the Federal Government to develop a strategy – Feeding Australia – if elected.
“The grains industry plays a crucial role in Australia’s food security, and we welcome a thorough and robust discussion around implementing a coherent and workable national strategy.”
She said the complexity of the issues involved required a comprehensive, coordinated approach developed with a strong partnership between industry and government.
“This Green Paper is valuable from the perspective of looking at where we are most vulnerable and how we can prepare proactively to address those issues.”
“Ultimately, we need a strategy that delivers a resilient approach to our food security challenges. Discussions that will hopefully take place around the issues identified in this Green Paper are an important part of this process,” she said.
ends