Rural
18 June, 2023
Federal Ministers visit Somerset region
FEDERAL Member for Blair Shayne Neumann hosted Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt, for a visit to Tim Beattie's dairy farm and Nobbyview Jersey Stud in Glamorgan Vale last week.
The visit was also attended by representatives of dairy industry EastAUS Milk, and provided an opportunity to talk about issues facing the local dairy and beef industries, and the benefits of the Federal Budget for regional Australia.
“Regional Australia and primary producers are the backbone of our economy and the lifeblood of our country, and agriculture is a major industry in the Somerset Region,” Mr Neumann said.
“The Federal Government’s May Budget recognises this by investing in industry value-adding, skills, regional connectivity and disaster readiness.
“It also boosts infrastructure to get our products to market and better services for regional Australia like Medicare.
“In recent times, the Government has also secured a number of trade agreements, which have delivered better market access for our dairy products and clean, green produce.”
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the Federal Government recognises that regional Australia and our primary industries kept the wheels of the economy going during the pandemic and they will continue to make a huge contribution.
“The dairy industry creates billions of dollars of value and employs tens of thousands of Australians,” Mr Chalmers said.
“I want to thank Tim Beattie for the opportunity to spend time on his farm to talk about the central importance of the dairy industry and agriculture to regional communities and our national economy.”
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Murray Watt, said the Federal Government wants to protect and grow our primary industries.
“The dairy industry is the third largest agricultural industry and supports many regional economies and jobs,” Senator Watt said
“Dairy farmers have been getting good prices in recent years, but we’re working with the sector to be ready for drought and other challenges.
“The May Budget delivered sustainable biosecurity funding for the first time, and we are working with industry to keep exotic animal and plant diseases out and keep our industries strong.
“We are building better climate change and disaster resilience with our $1 billion Disaster Readiness Fund, which includes funding for the Toogoolawah flood mitigation project in Blair.
“And as we move from a wetter La Nina weather pattern to a drier El Nino cycle, we have included funding for drought preparedness in the October and May budgets.
Finally, we have secured trade agreements that boost market access for our clean, green produce, including dairy products, and we continue to work on a number of trade agreements and relationships to grow our exports.”
Mr Neumann said it was good to talk to Tim about the opportunities and challenges for the local dairy and beef industries.
“Agriculture is a major industry in the Somerset and surrounding regions in my electorate, and I want to thank Tim and his family for the contribution they make to our local economy.”
