Interviews
Productivity Commission echoes Industry's call for reform
27 Jul '16
2 min read
Cotton Australia, which represents the interests of cotton growers, has welcomed a new draft report by the Productivity Commission which acknowledges that prevailing regulation on farmers is “substantial” and calls for regulatory reform, and a “fundamental” change in rules on native vegetation.
According to a key observation of the draft report - Regulation of Australian Agriculture, the cumulative burden of regulation on farmers was substantial, and that farmers wanted better, less burdensome regulation.
The report also recommended that governments should improve consultation practices, and ensure good regulatory impact assessment processes are used as an analytical tool rather than a compliance exercise.
It stated that rules on native vegetation regulations required 'fundamental change', and environmental regulatory decisions needed to take into account economic and social factors.
Also, international evidence could be used to assess agricultural chemicals, reducing the time and cost taken to achieve registration, the report suggested.
Cotton Australia General Manager, Michael Murray said the Productivity Commission's observations echo its own calls for reform, made in recent submissions to government across many policy areas -- that red tape is an excessive burden on farmers, and the case for reform is evident.
"Importantly, the Commission identified native vegetation as a key area for reform, as this is an issue currently in play in the cotton-growing states of Queensland and New South Wales," he said.
"We have also been calling on governments to engage in adequate consultation practices before implementing new regulations, or modifying existing regimes, and so we are pleased the Commission also highlighted this area as deserving of review," Murray said.
He, however, said that the organization would review the report in depth before submitting its feedback to the Productivity Commission “based on consultation with growers and industry."
(SH)
According to a key observation of the draft report - Regulation of Australian Agriculture, the cumulative burden of regulation on farmers was substantial, and that farmers wanted better, less burdensome regulation.
The report also recommended that governments should improve consultation practices, and ensure good regulatory impact assessment processes are used as an analytical tool rather than a compliance exercise.
It stated that rules on native vegetation regulations required 'fundamental change', and environmental regulatory decisions needed to take into account economic and social factors.
Also, international evidence could be used to assess agricultural chemicals, reducing the time and cost taken to achieve registration, the report suggested.
Cotton Australia General Manager, Michael Murray said the Productivity Commission's observations echo its own calls for reform, made in recent submissions to government across many policy areas -- that red tape is an excessive burden on farmers, and the case for reform is evident.
"Importantly, the Commission identified native vegetation as a key area for reform, as this is an issue currently in play in the cotton-growing states of Queensland and New South Wales," he said.
"We have also been calling on governments to engage in adequate consultation practices before implementing new regulations, or modifying existing regimes, and so we are pleased the Commission also highlighted this area as deserving of review," Murray said.
He, however, said that the organization would review the report in depth before submitting its feedback to the Productivity Commission “based on consultation with growers and industry."
(SH)
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