THE Leader of the Opposition in the State Parliament, Michael O’Brien, came to Shepparton last week to meet with local fruit growers to listen to their appeal for the government to address the shortage of pickers to work this year’s harvest.
In the past, farmers have been heavily reliant of cheap labour provided by backpackers and foreign workers, primarily those from the Pacific islands to manage the harvest. With the onset of the pandemic, that scenario has altered measurably.
Mitch McNabb, a grower in Ardmona needs 60 to 80 pickers at the height of the season. He has a dozen now and can foresee a substantial loss of up to 80 percent of his crop if he cannot source pickers in the next couple of weeks, a loss of over a million dollars.
The National Farmers Federation is collating data from farmers nation-wide on potential losses that now exceeds $38M.
Mr O’Brien agreed that something needs to be done and was critical of the Victorian Government being so hard on allowing some of the 15,000 vetted foreign workers who are ready to come.
In the interim, the Victorian Government has done a deal with the Tasmanian government that will see 1500 Pacific islanders go into quarantine in Tasmania while Victoria will support 330 returning Tasmanians.
It is an interim measure when Australian farmers are looking for 20,000 workers with only 4,000 being in place.
Adding to the mix is the prospect of lost crops falling to the ground providing a breeding ground for fruit fly, a pest that has been kept under control through assistance from the Victorian Government. This program is facing the prospect of being defunded at a time when a more concerted direct action is required.
Local Member for Northern Victoria, Wendy Lovell, said, “This should have been actioned by the State Government months ago. The economy of the Goulburn Valley relies heavily on the fruit production.”
