THE head of Australaia’s peak onion growing body says it had nothing to fear from the Senate inquiry into agricultural levies.
A Senate report into agricultural levies recommended all research and development corporations establish a database of levy payers and how to contact them.
But Onions Australia chief executive Lechelle Earle said the organisation had nothing to fear from the inquiry, or report.
“Obviously this inquiry came off the back of (Liberal Democratic Senator) David Leyonhjelm trying to disallow the avocado, onion and mushroom levy changes,” Ms Earle said.
“We were concerned about what his motives were, but Onions Australia had nothing to fear from the inquiry, given our record of transparency from grass roots levels of growers and levy payers, right through to government.”
She said peak industry bodies did have data bases of their members.
“We’ll read with interest the inquiry findings and discuss them with our members,” she said.
Growers pay $4 for every tonne of onions which leaves the farmgate.
Onions Australia said $2.90 of the levy was spent on research and development, designed to lift productivity and profitability.
The Senate committee stopped short of recommending that all producers get the chance to vote on how much levy they would pay.
But Senator Leyonhelm said payers should be given the chance to vote on their levies, as wool and dairy producers did.
