Loyalty to farmers goes out the window

READER Peter Aris complains about not being able to buy Tasmanian berries in his local supermarket (Letters, October 22). That would largely be down to the fact that the berry season in Tassie has just started, and our supplies are still being sourced from the warmer mainland states. Give it another few weeks, and we’ll be spoilt for choice once again.

However, the comments reflect a wider problem. Australians have never been hungry and we take our food for granted. We expect to have the world’s best food available 24/7 at prices often below the realistic cost of production. Farmers are burdened with more and more costs and lower and lower returns.

Supermarkets have made it clear that price is the sole determinant — and consumers have played along. Loyalty to Australian farmers goes out the window. At the same time, overseas consumers are prepared to pay top price for our amazing produce. We’re losing about 10 per cent of our farmers every year because they simply can’t make ends meet.

Is it any wonder they jump at the chance to receive a better return from export markets? If we want these products to stay here, we have to be prepared to pay the real costs. There’s an old saying that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher, but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer. It’s down to us as consumers to make sure there are enough Australian farmers left to look after our needs.