By Rhiana Whitson (ABC Gippsland)
Gippsland farmers painted a dire picture of life on the farm at a National Food Plan hearing in Traralgon this week.
Farmers and those involved in Gippsland's food industry voiced concerns over the power of the supermarket duopoly, over-regulation and skill shortages.
The Federal Government's National Food Plan taskforce is touring the country to get feedback on the plan's green paper, which will form the basis of the Federal Government's official position on the future of Australia's food industry.
The National Food Plan aims to safeguard future food supplies, and consider the environment, jobs, food processing, development and to sketch out a plan on how best to target a growing Asian market.
"The National Food Plan is the Federal Government's first attempt to bring together all of its policies in the food system into one place," explains Trish Stone, Assistant Secretary for the National Food Plan Taskforce.
"Our neighbours in Asia, are looking for healthy green, high quality foods, that's something Australia is really well positioned to provide," she says.
Alex Arbuthnott, chair of Agribusiness Gippsland, says the development of a National Food Plan is a step in the right direction - albeit a little late.
"We really should have seen this happen about five years ago," says Mr Arbuthnott.
"The Australian farmer at the moment is experiencing very, very difficult conditions and particularly with the price for milk," he says.
"The worst feature about the low price of milk in the supermarket is we're conditioning our consumer to be paying that low price for milk."
Add supermarket discounting to the recent poor seasonal conditions, high export prices and a high Australian dollar, and Gippsland farmers are struggling, Mr Arbuthnott says.
But Mr Arbuthnott is unsure whether regulated prices are the answer to the food sector's woes.
Instead, he says the Federal Government needs to help to develop a more creative strategy in marketing the sector to people at home and abroad, provide more support to farmers and to negotiate a better trade agreement with Asia.
"The reality is in a wonderful country like Australia everybody takes good food at pretty reasonable prices for granted," Mr Arbuthnott says.
Denison beef farmer Geoff Stephens says farmers are being held to ransom by the big supermarkets.
"You've got to fall into line or fall out."
He welcomes the development of a National Food Plan but doesn't expect to see changes happen overnight.
"I hope that the Government realises that farmers have to make a profit, we can't go on being below cost production agents in the chain."
Rosedale farmer Gerald Laws has more than 50 years experience of life on the land in Gippsland.
He says the agriculture sector has been slowly devalued and fears the farming industry will fall apart.
"It might be two decades down the line, but it will arrive here."
Have your say on the future of Australia's food industry by making a public submission to the National Food Plan by September 30.
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