September 10, 2015
Sugaronline | http://goo.gl/pVfO1i
Sugar industry representatives were given an ultimatum on marketing in Canberra Wednesday by the Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane, according to Australia’s North Queensland Register newspaper.
About 40 people including millers, grower representative groups, independent farmers as well as Queensland Sugar Limited attended the meeting at Parliament House organised by Mr Macfarlane.
Canegrowers chairman Paul Schembri said a lot of constructive conversation took place at the meeting and that all points of view were heard.
“The minister advised us all that the government will provide an independent mediator to arrive at a commercial solution for the industry,” Schembri said.
There were three options available for the industry representatives to negotiate on; do they offer a farm gate price for sugar, do they allow the millers to determine marketing arrangements, or do they allow growers the ability to choose their sugar marketer?
“We agreed that the preferred option would be for the individual growers to choose their marketer,” he said.
“We now have 30 to 45 days to come up with a resolution to achieve that option.
“The mediator will report back to Minister Macfarlane after 30 days and at that point if a resolution still seems a long way off the Minister said the government will intervene and act to resolve the issue.”
Minister Macfarlane issued a warning that there would be punishing bureaucracy inflicted upon millers if a resolution wasn’t reached.
“I’m glad we’re finally going to bring this issue to a head and get a result in the next 60 days,” Schembri said.
“This dispute has been going on for 18 months now; it has been taxing on everyone in the industry.
“All we’ve asked for is surety and certainty and it appears that is now in sight.”
Dawson MP George Christensen said everybody hopes that the sugar industry itself can come to a resolution on the issue by itself, but that it needs to be one in which the growers choice is respected.
“I don’t have much faith in the big millers, like Wilmar, to actually come to the party, and I think what we will find is that in 30 to 45 days we will still be at an impasse,” Christensen said.
“If that is the case, I will be strenuously advocating for all provisions of the mandatory code of conduct devised by the Sugar Marketing Code of Conduct Taskforce to be adopted as government policy,” he said.
The Sugar Marketing Code of Conduct Taskforce, which was chaired by Christensen, submitted its recommendations to both the Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and Small Business Minister Bruce Billson in June.