M E D I A R E L E A S E
Stability returns to the wheat industry
WA Grains Group Inc. (WAGG) chairman Doug Clarke has commended the rational decision to appoint a Wheat Industry Advisory Taskforce, as part of the Wheat Export Marketing Amendment Act 2012 passed by Parliament last week.
The Taskforce will assist industry to find areas of inefficiency in the wheat market as well as develop a mandatory code of conduct to oversee operation of the Australian wheat industry. The code of conduct will be developed during 2013 and reviewed two years after its introduction in 2014.
Mr Clarke said WAGG supported the retainment of an overseeing industry body to address issues within the supply chain, such as:
1. Fair, equitable and least-cost Port Access.
2. Disclosure of wheat stocks.
3. Export wheat integrity.
“The establishment of a mandatory code of conduct provides much more rigor than the proposed voluntary code and will give Australian wheat growers confidence that there is less chance of the supply chain being manipulated,” Mr Clarke said.
“This will in turn, provide the grower the opportunity to maximise the return for his tonne of wheat.
“While the issues are at times lost in a political dust storm, the outcomes for growers have been improved.”
Mr Clarke praised the Grain Producers Association, political parties and politicians who understood the issues of concern.
He said the state farming organisations of Queensland (Agforce), New South Wales (NSW Farmers Federation), South Australia (Grain Producers SA), Victoria (Victorian Farmers Federation Grains Group) and Western Australia (WA Grains Group) also played a vital role in the negotiations of the amended Wheat Act.
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WA Grains Group 