Gippsland › Latest news › Peter Walsh MP

Seasonal workforce too little and months too late

Insufficient seasonal workers leave Victoria’s hard working farmers produce to go waste.

By news@gippsland - 26th March 2021 - Back to News

The Andrews Labor Government is today patting itself on the back for forcing farmers and the meat processing industry to wait an extra six months for a seasonal workforce. Seasonal workers have finally arrived in Tasmania today as part of the quarantine deal that was announced by Victoria on January 22.

Victoria's agriculture industry helps the state's economy, but it also needs good supply of seasonal workers to havest crops

Not enough seasonal workers

A total of 100 seasonal workers arriving on Victorian farms in two weeks’ time is too little too late. Industry presented a solution to Government in October last year to quarantine workers through a purpose-built facility in Mildura, but the Andrews Government refused to adopt it.

Lack of workers leaves farmers hopeless

The Andrews Labor Government’s pig-headed arrogance has decimated farmers’ harvest hopes in what should have been a bumper year. Instead of reaping the rewards of a year’s hard work and good seasonal conditions, with no workers to harvest the crop farmers have had to make the gutting decision to plough them into the ground or leave produce on the trees to rot.

Agriculture industry needs attention from the government

Victoria’s $15.9 billion agriculture industry is the backbone of our state’s economy. But the needs of our farmers have been ignored by an incompetent Labor Government still distracted dealing with the chaos of its failed management of COVID-19 and the destruction its constant snap lockdowns have wrought on our state’s economy.

Pictures from Agriculture Victoria Facebook page.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com