BEEF producers have been urged to voice their concerns but not their anger over post-sale weighing.
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Wangaratta district farmer Bob Andrews was confident a large crowd would attend next Monday’s joint Victoria Farmers Federation and NSW Farmers meeting at Barnawartha.
“It just needed somebody to speak up and get the ball rolling,” he said.
He hoped to see “sensible” discussion.
“I know there are some big producers coming along too, which is good.”
Mr Andrews said it was “phenomenal” the VFF and NSW Farmers had got behind producers concerned about post-sale weighing of their stock at Barnawartha North.
His concerns prompted him to start a Facebook group called “Give Aussie farmers a fair go”.
The change to post-weighing, he said, would put an extra $90,000 a week into the hands of meat processors.
That amounted to an annual loss to beef producers of about $4.5 million, based on 225,000 cattle sold at Barnawartha North.
“I haven’t had anybody knock me on the figures except to the point that I didn’t go hard enough,” he said.
Mr Andrews said that made it harder to make a living for farmers, who then spent less locally, with the result that more young people would move to Melbourne for better economic opportunities.
“We want to actually encourage people to come out of Melbourne who have got entrepreneurial skills to open shops so we can enjoy some of those things you get in the city,” he said.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the boycott by meat processors of last week’s prime cattle sale at Barnawartha North.
That centres on whether the “alleged” conduct of the processors raises concerns under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
“Under the Act, competitors are prohibited to join together to restrict the supply or acquisition of goods or services,” a spokesman said.
“The ACCC is aware that the NSW Farmers’ Association has written to Small Business Minister Bruce Billson, raising concerns about the alleged conduct.”
VFF Livestock president Ian Feldtmann said the issue of processors’ market power needed to be taken further, but warned there were no quick fixes.
“We’re working with NSW Farmers’ Association to see what we can do jointly on this issue,” he said.
“It’s time these processors accounted for their actions.”
The VFF and NSW Farmers said they were holding crisis talks to discuss what action to take “to ensure the long-term viability of beef producers”.
