Backing for farm scheme

A NEW scheme designed to help Western Australian farmers gain international recognition for sustainable practices has been endorsed by one of the world’s largest grocery groups.

“I think what Western Australia is doing with this good farming practice is just exceptional,” said John Glover, a director of Metro Cash & Carry Asia.

Speaking at a Farming for the Future forum in Perth last month, Mr Glover said the environment and food safety was the number one issue facing international buyers of food products.

He said this issue was seen as critical to retaining customer loyalty.

Groups such as Metro - the world’s fifth largest retail company with 437 wholesale outlets in 24 countries – were putting enormous resources into checking the quality standards adopted by their suppliers.

This was manifested in constant checking of food supplies for residuals, such as hormones and antibiotics.

Mr Glover said a core issue was traceability, so that buyers could trace food supplies back to the paddock or field where it was grown.

“The opportunity for Australia is to find windows of opportunity, find out what customers want and then prepare so you can meet that need,” he said.

Agriculture Minister Kim Chance said the new initiative aims to provide all WA farmers with a practical way of obtaining international recognition for sustainable farming practices.

“Consumers are making more informed purchases based on environmental, social and ethical impacts of products and the processes used to produce them,” Mr Chance said.

“International retailers are responding to this shift in consumer focus and are buying from suppliers who can provide assurances that production and processing systems are sustainable.”

The scheme was backed by Wesfarmers deputy managing director Richard Goyder.

“We believe that this initiative provides an opportunity for West Australian primary producers to advance their standing in the national and international agribusiness communities as suppliers of clean and green products and to encourage further innovation in agriculture in this State,” Mr Goyder told a launch function.

He expressed optimism that government and industry would be able to work together to develop a credible “sustainability footprint” for agricultural production.

Mr Glover said some of the other key considerations for international purchasers of food supplies such as Metro included consistent product quality, packaging standards, and having efficient logistics through the supply chain.

Apart from the issue of sustainability, Mr Glover said Australian farmers faced a number of wider challenges.

“Australia is seen as a fragmented fair-weather supplier and it’s a real problem,” he said.

A classic illustration was the willingness of Australian exporters to chase short-term gains, in the form of higher prices, even if this was at the expense of long-term business relationships.

He added that Australia was helped by its reputation as a ‘clean, green’ country but suggested more needed to be done with branding to exploit this natural advantage.

“I don’t think your marketing and promotional efforts are effective enough,” he said.