Agriculture is the backbone of the Tasmanian economy. The Tasmanian Greens are committed to a strong and vibrant agriculture sector. We recognise that the farming community is in crisis, with low commodity prices and ever-increasing input costs. Farms must be ecologically and financially sustainable. We must leave agricultural land in better condition for this generation and the generations to follow.

Farmers must be price setters not price takers. We will introduce programs that will achieve this goal. We must produce commodities that are of high value and are in high demand. Farmers must receive just returns for their investments.

We will enhance our Clean Green and Genetically Engineered (GE) Free status, Hormonal Growth Promotant Free(HGP) status and support the Tasmanian Brand.

We believe that agricultural land should be managed by individuals, families and the communities that work it.

Measures

Farmers as Price-setters not Price-takers:  support partnerships with commodity groups to help establish and maintain seller co-operatives that will grow, process and market products;   identify commodities that are of high value and are in high demand 

Marketing:   identify high demand and high value markets both here and overseas and assist with marketing in those areas; endorse Brand Tasmania as a marketing tool and expand its operation; support Truth in Labelling

Clean, Green Farming:   set a target of 20 percent organic accreditable farm production by 2020;  develop a Tasmanian Organic Certification program in consultation with existing organic certification bodies;  assist farmers and growers in the organic certification process;  support a paddock-to-plate trace-back program;  reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides and identify cost effective pest reduction methods that  have no long-term negative effects on the sustainability of our agricultural commodities, and ban the use of 1080 (except for the controlled use as part of the fox eradication program)

Sustainability:   support a catchment-by-catchment study to identify soil types and climatic conditions in order to determine what agriculture products can be grown viably; support Landcare groundworks done within a catchment perspective; support the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality; position the Department of Primary Industries as an essential tool for the farming community and expand its personnel and services to reverse the current trend to privatise its operations

Genetic Engineering:  protect Tasmania’s GE-free status through zero-tolerance of genetically engineered crops and the contamination of GE-free crops and the environment; promote Tasmania regionally and internationally as a leader in GE-free quality assurance and status

Quarantine & Biosecurity:  strengthen quarantine measures to minimise the impact of exotic pests, weeds and diseases; support programs ensuring a fox-free Tasmania