From the Food Security Forum 2014: Good food, good health: delivering the benefits of food security in Australia and beyond - 17 March 2014

1. Farming Australia’s future food
production – a farmers perspective
Angus Gidley-Baird
Policy Director
NSW Farmers’ Association

2. The commentary
•Global food demand to increase by 70% by
2050.
•Majority of the growth centred in Asia
•Rapid increase in livestock meat, milk, eggs
and vegetable oils as sources of food
calories
•Commercial opportunities for food
exporting countries such as Australia

3. Value of Australian Exports
Source: ABARES

4. Australian per capita consumption
of selected agricultural commodities
Source: ABARES

5. Historical scale of selected
agricultural commodities in NSW
Source: ABS

6. Farm production
Source: ABARES

7. Australian farm returns
Source: ABARES

8. Areas to work of for profitability in
farming
•Biosecurity
•Infrastructure and logistics
•Access to finance
•Trade and marketing
•Productivity
•Workforce and skills development
•Land use competition

9. Biosecurity
•Education and capacity
building
•Establish clear cost
sharing arrangements
•Place high value in
maintaining biosecurity
status

10. Infrastructure and logistics
•Private investment
•Public private ventures
•Develop a
comprehensive
transport infrastructure
plan

11. Access to finance
•Reducing risks
•Improving returns
•Identifying alternative
business structures
•Provide certainty for
foreign investment

12. Trade and Marketing
•Work constructively with
supply chain stakeholders
•Build and maintain
relationships with interest
groups
•Trade agreements
•Food labelling
•Address market power

13. Productivity
•Leveraging of the
Research and
Development Corporations
•Greater engagement of
research
•Comprehensive database
of industry research

14. Workforce and skills development
•Foster skills development
•Ensure training is
accessible, relevant and
affordable
•Incorporating food and
fibre production into the
curriculum
•Work collaboratively on
work health and safety

15. Land use competition
•Promote mutually
beneficial outcomes
•Protect prime agricultural
land
•Work collaboratively for
beneficial planning
outcomes

16. Thank you
Angus Gidley-Baird
Policy Director
NSW Farmers’ Association