AUSTRALIAN farmers are suffering financially from a union inspired scare campaign which is delaying trade under the China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA).
This is according to National Farmers Federation deputy chief executive Tony Mahar, who told a crowd of 200 attendees at the Marcus Oldham, Geelong FTA forum last week that export competitors such as New Zealand were capitalising on ChAFTA delays and penetrating Australia's share of the Chinese market.
On the back of the latest failed Trans Pacific Partnership talks – due to stalled negotiations on auto, dairy and sugar exports – Mr Mahar said beginning trade under the ChAFTA, which eliminated trade taxes, was critical.
"The longer this is delayed the longer we need to wait for tariff reductions," Mr Mahar said.
"The longer we wait for those (tariff reductions) the more access countries like New Zealand and others get a head of Australian farmers."
The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) is conducting a public inquiry into the ChAFTA, with a report due to be tabled in Parliament in early October.
Coinciding with the JSCOT inquiry, is a Senate Committee inquiry, hearing arguments for and against the deal. This report is expected to be released within one month of the JSCOT report.
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has launched a campaign against the agreement claiming it would lead to an influx of Chinese workers into Australia.
"There is a real risk the unions are scaring the communities around what is undocumented and untruths about the trade agreement," Mr Mahar said.
"If they continue with what we think is a scare campaign around the China FTA, Australian farmers will suffer – if it is delayed longer than it needs to be it will costs us hundreds of millions of dollars."
During the forum, Dairy Australia Trade and Industry manager Charlie McElhone said the deal, once in effect, would have a "transformational outcome" on markets.
Focusing on the dairy industry, Mr McElhone said of Australia's $3 billion annual dairy exports, majority of the value was generated from Asian markets.
China, as of last year, became Australia's number one dairy export market compared to 1990 when it was the 19th largest market.
"We have had a 60pc increase in exports (to China) in the past five to seven years – it has had enormous growth," he said.
"It is about China become the largest and fastest growing dairy market in the world.
"The statistics are overwhelming – 16 million babies born each year, that is a lot of infant formula."
