Government efforts to fund biosecurity through a tax on farmers producing fresh good have failed and the industry is breathing a sigh of relief.
While the almost $50 million levy was labelled as the answer to protecting biosecurity threats coming into the country, producers were up in arms as being the funders of the plan.
Good Fruit & Vegetables reported on the removal of the proposed legislation from the Senate and spoke to Grain Producers Australia Chief Executive Colin Bettles.
Mr Bettles said commonsense had prevailed in the face of the fundamentally flawed policy that GPA was instrumental in leading strong advocacy against.
"The unfairness and inequity of the legislation was apparent to the Coalition, Greens and independents who voted against it and that's why it was defeated on the floor of parliament," he said.
"We will continue to work to optimise the value of levies paid by producers, not just for biosecurity but for all aspects of their businesses."
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