Cattle, Milk and Bread – Australia’s Food Supply now under severe Threat
The latest news regarding the inhumane treatment of cattle exported to Indonesia only further highlights the significant threats to Australia’s food production.
Author, Speaker and Supply Chain Expert Rob O’Byrne said “Recent ‘milk wars’ and ‘bread wars’ are just more examples of how market forces will continue to force Australian food producers out of business”.
Increasing demands placed on Australian food producers by large retail chains chasing huge discount wars and overseas processors causing a halt to the live animal export market are now reducing the ability of food producers to make a living.
It’s the food producers and growers who bear the brunt of these market pressures and for an industry already on its knees from draught and then floods, we can expect many more producers to face bankruptcy.
- There are over 130,000 farms in Australia producing 93% of domestic food supply
- China moves into Australian agriculture
- Irrigation water is rising $2 per megalitre on top of CPI
- Fruit and vegetable imports soaring
- Golden Circle to move beet root production offshore
Senator Joe Ludwig, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, said in Dec 2010, “Australia is founded on a strong agricultural sector. Australia continues to produce far more food that we can consume with a significant food surplus of $14.2 billion in 2009-10,”
But current events and trends place this whole industry at risk.
Author, Speaker and Supply Chain Expert Rob O’Byrne consults to hundreds of leading organisations in Australia and around the World and has recently published the first of a series of books titled ‘Supply Chain Secrets’ to highlight how Australian businesses can become more competitive. His clients include many of the major food producers, processors and retailers in Australia.
