NORTH East food producers have cited high transport costs and freight delays as two major hindrances in their bid to be competitive in the wider marketplace.
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About 20 producers met member for Indi Cathy McGowan, taking the opportunity to turn a “working lunch” in Wangaratta into the opportunity to brief Ms McGowan about the issues that cause them greatest grief.
Ms McGowan has in turn offered to take their feedback back to the federal government and to provide a voice for the sector as government develops policy that will impact upon food producers in regional Australia.
Alpine Valleys Vignerons presidents Micheal Freudenstein says the isolation of regional communities can make it difficult to get products to market via metropolitan warehouses.
Similarly the cost of transporting finishing products and raw inputs can also affect the regional producers’ bottom line.
Mr Freudenstein pointed to the value in getting governments at all levels to work together in order to address compliance issues and provide a better starting point for regional producers as they seek to market their product to a wider audience.
