IRATE Southern Riverina Irrigators chairman Graeme Pyle has secured a face-to-face meeting with federal government representatives in response to mounting anger among farmers about water issues.
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Last week Mr Pyle took aim at an announcement of a program whereby an additional 450 gigalitres would be removed from productive use.
“We received a lot of media attention last week after Barnaby Joyce and Sussan Ley announced what they called the next generation of Commonwealth initiatives," Mr Pyle said.
"It is effectively a few more whacks by the whip of a thousand lashes which is killing our industry."
In response to his criticisms, Mr Pyle said he received calls from the offices of Mr Joyce and Ms Ley with the offer for a meeting in Canberra on Wednesday.
But Ms Ley will be overseas and Mr Joyce has other commitments on the day after also returning from an overseas trip.
“For too long our industry has been playing Mr Nice Guy as we watch and see it decimated by a flawed Murray-Darling Basin Plan," he said.
“It’s come to the point where we have a choice.
We either take the gloves off and fight hard or we watch Australia’s food bowl die a slow death."
He planned to deliver some clear messages to Canberra including taking an additional 450 gigalitres from productive use was simply unacceptable.
Other demands from food producers included amending the Water Act to give equal balance to the triple bottom line, commence a Royal Commission into the accountability, performance and independence of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and pause the Murray-Darling Basin Plan on the acquisition of productive water.
“We want action and commitments and we want them now,” he said.
He said the anger of food producers had reached a level where they could no longer sit back.
