Victoria’s food security has to be addressed across a range of portfolios, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.
A Legislative Council inquiry has been launched into the issues around food security.
The VFF has told the inquiry — whether it is transport, energy, water, labour or planning — all of these issues have an effect on how food is produced, the cost of production and the prices that consumers eventually pay.
The VFF supports the concept of a national food security strategy.
“That strategy must identify the areas of responsibility for each level of government,” the organisation’s submission said.
This submission seeks to underscore the urgency of addressing food security not as a distant concern but as a present and pressing issue which crosses over various policy areas of government
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) found that rising input prices were one of the factors that contributed to global food price rises in 2021 and 2022, and the Reserve Bank of Australia has stated that agricultural inputs costs are also evident in higher grocery prices in Australia.
The VFF has said the Australian agriculture industry as a whole had suffered a 115 per cent increase in input costs from 2002 to 2022.
Aside from rising input costs, the VFF pointed to urban sprawl as a significant threat to the viability of farming operations in Victoria.
“The encroachment of urban development into agricultural land not only diminishes the available land for farming but also disrupts the established farming practices and infrastructure,” the VFF said.
“This unchecked expansion exacerbates the fragmentation of agricultural land, leading to increased land use conflicts, reduced economies of scale and diminished agricultural productivity.
“These issues have been exacerbated by failures in Victoria’s planning system which sees agriculture sidelined in planning decisions despite its fundamental role in providing food security, supporting regional economies, and preserving natural resources.”
The committee of inquiry is expected to report back to parliament later this year.