QUAMBATOOK mixed farmer and industry leader Brett Hosking is running for president of the VFF in a bid to “return the voice of Victorian farmers to the big table”.
Mr Hosking said the VFF has marginalised its potential by pulling out of the National Farmers Federation and all key peak industry bodies.
“You have got to get back in the game if you are serious about the long-term future of the industry,” he said.
“Right now the only thing Victorian farmers have is a voice in the wilderness, and you don’t get heard from there.
“As president it will be my priority to put our agriculture industry back on the national stage, where it belongs.
“The big decisions which have the most immediate impact on the bottom lines of our farmers are made in Canberra, that’s where the big bucks come from.
“Think fuel rebates, trade markets, levies and biosecurity – those are all crucial and they are all Federal Government decisions, and if we are not there when the NFF is representing farmers, we are nowhere.”
Mr Hosking’s industry pedigree is hard to match. The fifth-generation farmer is a former VFF vice-president and grains group president, was chairman of GrainGrowers for four years and a director for seven. He is also a director of Birchip Cropping Group and of the national organisation Farmers for Climate Action.
When accepting the FCA role its chairman Charlie Prell said the organisation was: “thrilled to have someone of the calibre of Mr Hosking join our board”.
“Brett Hosking has an incredible history in farm representation and is well known in farm circles for his honesty, integrity and straight talking,” he said.
“As FCA’s membership and influence continues to grow, Brett Hosking is just the sort of person who will help take us forward.
“As we approach 8000 farmer members, we want to be delivering the best for them and the best outcomes for all farmers. “Mr Hosking’s acumen and networks will help us as we aim to encourage governments to make the deep emissions reductions this decade farmers need.”
Mr Hosking said with harvest here, roads are once again a major issue. Specifically, the poor state of the regional network, growing pressure from more heavy road traffic, not enough rail options and managing pinch points at major crossings and intersections.
“The VFF must be out there fighting for change, adding its voice and weight to other groups fighting to try and meet these challenges,” he said.
“You can’t just put up the shutters and hope something will happen.
“Then there is the soaring cost of power, the rights of farmers over their own property after the Allan Labor government stripped us all of the right of appeal to VCAT when groups such as VNI West want to come marching onto your property,” he said.
“I am not hearing anything from our farmer’s organisation.
“And look at the CFA, our incredible volunteer organisation which is meant to be getting a lot of the funding it needs via the fire services levy.
I’m pretty sure we are getting badly shortchanged in that department and I doubt the people of Gippsland would want to think their frontline defenders aren’t getting what they need.
“That’s why I am standing to be VFF president. This is your land, and you need to have a say about what’s going on here.
“I want to offer leadership you can see, effective leadership and I want the VFF to get things done, and the first thing is getting ourselves back in the big game.”
