FARMERS from the Central Highlands region had their say at an information meeting held yesterday to promote Victoria’s world class food and fibre industries and making sure farmers benefit from the growth opportunities in agriculture.
At a meeting held at Dunnstown, near Ballarat, local farmers and farm groups, agribusiness, civic leaders and key regional bodies met State Agricultural minister Peter Walsh, and Western Victoria Region MLC and Chair of the Rural and Regional Committee, David O’Brien to discuss the issues facing Victoria’s regional agricultural sectors.
The gathering was organised by Sonia Smith the Nationals candidate for the newly formed Legislative Assembly seat of Buninyong, which will have an electoral role of 38,800 voters when the State votes again in November.
The area of the new Buninyong electorate spans parts of the regional Shires of Ballarat (Sebastopol), Moorabool and Golden Plains.
The Dunnstown meeting also provided a forum for the local launch of a new Parliamentary inquiry aimed at increasing exports from regional Victoria.
Submissions into this inquiry are being heard over the next four months and Committee Chair Mr O’Brien said that Victoria needs to stand ready to take advantage of the coming boom in agriculture.
“(Government) seeks to examine how best it can support farmers and the food sector which are the major employers in many regional communities so that they can profit and win market share domestically and build a regional export profile overseas” Mr O’Brien said.
The meeting also launched a regional branding initiative driven by the region’s leading agri-business group the Central Highlands Agriculture Forum which takes in the municipal areas of Ballarat, Hepburn, Pyrenees and Moorabool.
The branding initiative is aimed at helping the regions food producers to distinguish their products and gain a competitive advantage by showcasing the food’s provenance linked to quality assurance and regional appeal.
Murray Arnel
Stock store analyst for Stock & Land.
Stock store analyst for Stock & Land.
