Farmers’ confidence takes a hit after as ‘avalanche’ of pressures bear down on farmers

The recently released Rabobank report showing that confidence in the future of farming for WA farmers was at an all-time low is not really a big surprise.

There has been an avalanche of pressures bearing down on farmers and much of it comes from governments, both State and Federal, making decisions that are based on very poor policy or straight-out hate.

The WA State Government’s dislike of regional WA under former premier Mark McGowan has been front and centre.

First there was regional representation, which he denied, denied and denied again claiming fairness when it is exactly this system which protects West Australians from the more populous States.

Continuous cuts to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development — a bare shadow of its former self— shows the State Government has scant regard for an industry which produces a huge amount of export income.

Industrial manslaughter laws have been designed to jail perpetrators, with a far lesser test to find guilt.

Changes to the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act could find farmers and other landholders on the continuous drip feed. We now need to prove we are not harming cultural heritage rather purely trying to make a living.

Supposedly, it’s business as usual but if you’re a corporation, fines could be up to $10 million and there could be jail time.

And finally firearms.

Farmers need firearms as part of their occupation but also they are needed by the recreational shooters.

Yes, there are some idiots who trespass to go shooting but they should be the ones being penalised and not the law-abiding citizen.

That’s just the State Government.

The Federal Government has taken it to the next level.

There seems to be an imperative to punish those who take a risk to try and make a living.

There is a need to fund biosecurity for the benefit of the whole country but those who increase the risk have been relieved of the burden and the farmers who already pay are being asked to fork out more.

Interest rates and inflation are a burden caused by a complete disregard by the government of what unbounded spending causes.

Not only do farmers who are in debt get it in the neck with extra interest but it reduces the export income due to the effect on the dollar.

The potential live trade ban based on the fabled social license not only has the potential to do huge harm to agriculture, but also to our trading partnerships.

Based on that fallacy, they have a mandate that ignores the fact that it is a highly regulated industry and fits with all the regulations.

Anyone who has land in superannuation will be JUforced to pay tax on unrealised gains.

Then, the same work, same pay proposed changes will have a detrimental effect on anyone who has to employ people where they will get less experience for the higher pay rate.

The proposed, and most likely implemented, increase to the heavy vehicle road user’s charge of 5 per cent per year for the next three years will have a massively detrimental effect on rural people but mostly those who use a lot of freight... namely farmers and miners.

Even horticulture will be hit badly with the plans to fix the number of hours a week to 30.

How and in what world will that ever work?

Is it any wonder there is a low confidence in farming?

John Hassell is the president at WAFarmers.