Major irrigating industries have welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement that it will introduce legislation to cap water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan (MDBP) at 1500 gigalitres (GL).
The Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia (RGA) and the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) have come out in support of the announcement.
RGA president Les Gordon said it was good news for the rice industry and delivered on a promise made by then Opposition leader Tony Abbott in 2012.
“We welcome the move by the Federal Government to place a cap on water buybacks as it delivers certainty to our growing regions and their supporting communities,” Mr Gordon said.
“We are hopeful that the Government will also soon be able to announce a timeframe for the buybacks.
“We are pleased that our calls for the Government to provide certainty for communities and farmers have been heard.”
The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) has also got behind the cap, which would provide dairy farmers in the Murray-Darling Basin with much-needed certainty about future water availability to sustain their business.
Environmental water can continue to be recovered through water-saving infrastructure projects.
ADIC chair Noel Campbell said the government’s announcement gave farmers and processors in the basin, where more than 25 per cent of Australia’s milk was produced, the confidence to continue dairying.
“Almost 2000 dairy farms and 16 major milk-processing factories are located in the basin, with more than 12,000 people in the region whom rely on the industry for their livelihood,” Mr Campbell said.
“With 97 per cent of those farms relying on irrigation for pasture and feed production, capping buybacks at 1500 GL gives farmers assurance that they will be able to continue adapting their practices to produce more milk with less water.”
Dairy farmers in the basin have adapted their practices in the past 20 years to meet their limited access to water including participating in water-saving programs.
Mr Campbell said a clear plan was now required to legislate the cap, confirm the extended period for buybacks, and the delivery of 600GL in infrastructure works and 650GL in environmental works.
“This is the triple-bottom line approach we have sought from the beginning, and we urge all parties to support this outcome,” he said.
