Australia is a major agricultural producer and exporter, with over 325,300
employed in Agriculture, forestry and fishing as of February 2015. Agriculture
and its closely related sectors earn $155 billion-a-year for a 12% share of
GDP. Australian farmers and graziers own 135,997 farms, covering 61% of
Australia's landmass. Across the country there is a mix of irrigation and
dry-land farming. The CSIRO, the federal government agency for scientific
research in Australia, has forecast that climate change will cause decreased
precipitation over much of Australia and that this will exacerbate existing
challenges to water availability and quality for agriculture.
There are three main zones: the high rainfall zone of Tasmania and a narrow
coastal zone; wheat, sheep zone, and the grazing of sheep plus beef cattle) and
the pastoral zone. An indicator of viability of agriculture in the state of
South Australia is whether land is within Goyder's Line.
Major agricultural products Australia produces a large variety of
primary products for export and domestic consumption. The forecast top ten
agricultural products by value are listed for year 2006-07, with production
figures from previous years. = Crops =
Cereals, oilseeds and grain legumes are produced on a large scale in Australia
for human consumption and livestock feed. Wheat is the cereal with the
greatest production in terms of area and value to the Australian economy.
Sugarcane, grown in tropical Australia, is also an important crop; however, the
unsubsidised industry is struggling to compete with the huge and much more
efficient Brazilian sugarcane industry. Listed below is crop production by
kilotonnes for the largest crops: = Horticulture =
Australia produces a wide variety of fruit, nuts and vegetables. The largest
crops include oranges, apples, bananas, chestnuts, potatoes, carrots and
tomatoes. Tropical fruits, including bananas,
mangoes and pineapples, fare well in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Australia is one of the few countries that produces licit opium for
pharmaceuticals. This industry, centred in Tasmania, is subject to strict
controls. The horticulture industry has
traditionally provided Australians with all their fresh fruit and vegetables
needs, with a smaller export industry. However, loosened border controls and
increasing importers have threatened local industries. Consumer research has
repeatedly shown that Australians prefer local produce. However, there is no
effective country-of-origin labelling and consumers frequently assume all
fresh vegetables and fruit must be Australian.
In 2005 McDonald's Australia Ltd announced it would no longer source all
its potatoes for fries from Tasmanian producers and announced a new deal with
New Zealand suppliers. Subsequently, Vegetable and Potato Growers Australia
launched a political campaign advocating protectionism. This campaign included a
tractor convoy moving from Tasmania to the mainland and then a road trip
throughout country Victoria and New South Wales culminating at Canberra, the
national capital. = Viticulture =
Australia has a large wine industry, and the value of wine exports surpassed
A$2.3 billion in 2002-2003. Wine regions include the Barossa Valley in South
Australia, Sunraysia in Victoria, Margaret River in Western Australia and
the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. The key wine varieties grown in
Australia are Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Although the
Australian wine industry enjoyed a large period of growth during the 1990s, over
planting and over supply have led to a large drop in the value of wine, forcing
some wine makers, especially those on contracts to large wine producing
companies, out of business. The future for some Australian wine producers is
now uncertain. = Animal Products =
Beef industry The beef industry is the largest
agricultural enterprise in Australia, and it is the second largest beef
exporter, behind Brazil, in the world. All states and territories of Australia
support cattle breeding in a wide range of climates. Cattle production is a
major industry that covers an area in excess of 200 million hectares. The
Australian beef industry is dependent on export markets, with over 60% of
Australian beef production exported, primarily to the United States, Korea
and Japan. The industry gained an advantage after the discovery of BSE in
Canada, Japan and the United States, as Australia is free of the disease.
In contrast to breeding systems in other parts of the world, Australian cattle
are reared on pasture as the principal source of feed. In southern Australia
beef cattle are often reared on smaller properties as part of a mixed farming or
grazing operation, but some properties do specialise in producing cattle. The
southern calves are typically reared on pasture and sold as weaners, yearlings
or as steers at about two years old or older. Artificial insemination and
embryo transfer are more commonly used in stud cattle breeding in Australia,
but may be used in other herds. In the Top End, sub-tropical areas and
in arid inland regions cattle are bred on native pastures on expansive cattle
stations. Anna Creek Station in South Australia, Australia is the world's
largest working cattle station. The North Australian Pastoral Company Pty
Limited is now one of Australia's largest beef cattle producers, with a
herd of over 180,000 cattle and fourteen cattle stations in Queensland and the
Northern Territory. The Australian Agricultural Company manages a cattle
herd of more than 585,000 head. Heytesbury Beef Pty Ltd owns and manages
over 200,000 head of cattle across eight stations spanning the East Kimberley,
Victoria River and Barkly Tablelands regions in Northern Australia. Most
cattle from these regions are exported as manufacturing beef or as live animals
under 350 kilograms live weight to South-East Asia for fattening in
feedlots there. Prior to European settlement there were
no cattle in Australia. The present herd consists principally of British and
European breeds, in the southern regions with Aberdeen Angus and Herefords being
the most common. In northern Australia Bos indicus breeds predominate along
with their crosses. They were introduced to combine the resistance to cattle
ticks and greater tolerance of hot weather.
Despite strong public oppositionand opposition from the RSPCA because of
cruelty, the export of live cattle continues.
Lamb meat industry Lamb has become an increasingly
important product as the sheep industry has moved its focus from wool production
to the production of prime lamb. The beef meat industry and the lamb industry
are represented by Meat and Livestock Australia. Live export of cattle and
sheep from Australia to Asia and the Middle East is a large part of
Australian meat export. Live export practises came under scrutiny after the
carrier Cormo Express carrying 52 000 animals was turned away from Saudi
Arabia in 2003 due to suspected cases of scabby mouth. The sheep were eventually
given to Eritrea. Media coverage has led to calls from animal rights activists
for the live export trade to cease. Pork industry
There are currently an estimated 2,000 pig producers in Australia, producing 5
million pigs annually. Although relatively small on the world stage, the
industry provides a significant positive impact on local, regional, state, and
national economies through income generation and employment. The pork
industry contributes approximately $970m to Australia's GDP and the supply chain
contributes $2.6billion to the GDP. The industry generates over $1.2b of
household income, directly employing 6,500 full-time positions, and the
supply chain employs 29,000 people. The Australian pork industry is represented
by Australian Pork Limited, a producer-run company created by
legislation. = Dairy =
Dairy products are Australia's fourth most valuable agricultural export.
Domestic milk markets were heavily regulated until the 1980s, particularly
for milk used for domestic fresh milk sales. This protected smaller producers
in the northern states who produced exclusively for their local markets. The
Kerin plan began the process of deregulation in 1986, with the final
price supports being removed in 2000. Growth in the Australian dairy industry
is dependent on expanding export markets. Exports are expected to
continue to grow over time, particularly to Asia and the Middle East.
As the Australian dairy industry grows feedlot systems are becoming more
popular. Feedlot dairy cows may be housed indoors for their entire lives,
directing energy that would have been used walking on pasture into milk
production. = Fisheries =
The gross value of production of Australia's fisheries and aquaculture
products was $2.3 billion in 2002-03. The Australian aquaculture industry's
share of this value has been steadily rising and now represents around 32 per
cent. The value of exports of fisheries products in 2002-03 was $1.84 billion.
Australia's main seafood export earners include rock lobsters, prawns, tuna and
abalone. = Wool =
Wool is still quite an important product of Australian agriculture. The
Australian wool industry is widely recognised as producing the finest
quality Merino wool. This is largely attributable to selective breeding and a
superior genetic line. In 2001 Australian wool production
accounted for 9% of world production. However, it dominates the fine quality
wool sector, producing 50% of the world's Merino wool. Although sheep are
farmed Australia-wide, 36% of the flock is in New South Wales.
Research and development for the industry is led by Australian Wool
Innovation Limited, a producer owned company. Australian wool is marketed by
the Woolmark company. Both companies are held by Australian Wool Services, a
company created by legislation. The industry is export-oriented.
Historically, up to 90% of Australian wool was exported. The industry has
suffered from a lowering demand for natural fibres, and a decrease in wool
prices worldwide. Animal rights organisations including
PETA are currently promoting a boycott of Australian, and all Merino wool, as a
protest against the practice of mulesing, a procedure used to prevent
the animals from becoming fly blown with maggots. In 2004, due to the worldwide
attention, AWI proposed to phase out the practice by the end of year 2010; this
promise was retracted in 2009. = Cotton =
Australia also produces considerable amounts of cotton. The majority of the
cotton produced is genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide
glyphosate or to actively kill pests through the production of Bt toxin.
Cotton is generally grown by irrigation. = Seaweeds =
The shorelines, especially the Great Barrier Reef, are providing motivation
to help the continent by using seaweed to absorb nutrients. Because of the
giant number of natural Australian seaweeds, not only could seaweed
cultivation be used to help absorb nutrients around the GBR and other
Australian shores, cultivation could also help feed a large part of the
world. Even the Chinese, who could be considered far more advanced in seaweed
cultivation, are interested in the future of Australian seaweeds. Lastly,
the GBR itself, because of the delicate corals, has lent itself to utilizing
seaweed/algae purposely as a nutrient reduction tool in the form of algae.
This has occurred in the form of algae scrubbers, and seaweed cultivators,
which are now available for domestic use worldwide.
Importance of irrigation Because of Australia's large deserts and
irregular rainfall, irrigation is necessary for agriculture in some parts
of the country. The total gross value of irrigated agricultural production in
2004-05 was A$9,076 million compared to A$9,618 million in 2000-01. The gross
value of irrigated agricultural production represents around a quarter
of the gross value of agricultural commodities produced in Australia in
2004-05, on less than 1% of agricultural land.
Of the 12,191 GL of water consumed by agriculture in 2004-05, dairy farming
accounted for 18%, pasture 16%, cotton 15% and sugar 10%.
Issues facing Australian agriculture = Political values =
Historian F.K. Crowley finds that: Australian farmers and their spokesman
have always considered that life on the land is inherently more virtuous, as
well as more healthy, more important and more productive, then life in the towns
and cities....The farmers complained that something was wrong with an
electoral system which produced parliamentarians who spent money
beautifying vampire-cities instead of developing the interior.
The Country Party, from the 1920s to the 1970s, promulgated its version of
agrarianism, which it called "countrymindedness". The goal was to
enhance the status of the graziers and small farmers and justified subsidies
for them. = Technical, environmental and economic
issues = The major issues facing agriculture in
Australia are drought, water security, low soil fertility, weeds, climate
change caused by global warming, biosecurity, tariffs on Australian
exports in the importing country, subsidies to farmers in other countries,
currency fluctuations and price volatility. The wheat industry has also
faced the end of the "single desk" marketing system after the Australian
Wheat Board was found during the Cole Inquiry to have illegally paid bribes to
officials in Iraq. The agricultural industry is one of the
most trade-exposed sectors of the Australian economy. According to Charles
McElhorn from the National Farmers Federation a 1% change in the value of
Australian dollar is equivalent to a change of $220 million in export
earnings. = Genetic modification =
GM grains are not allowed in South Australia, where some grain producers
have called for the moratorium to be lifted. They argue the GM technology
would help them tackle weeds and other pests, and that farmers should be able
to choose how they run their enterprises and whether or not they wanted to grow
the 'premium products' described by Leon Bignell, the South Australian
Agriculture Minister. Producers have also said their GM-free grain is not
translating to higher profits. Bignell conceded more work needed to be done to
market produce as GM-free but said he was confident producers would see higher
financial returns in the near future. In March 2015, Bignell told farmers they
should not use GM but should instead rely upon what he called 'God's gifts'.
He said the "amazing" results of the Government's 'New Horizons' soil
improvement program "prove," in his view, that grain producers "do not need
genetic modification technology." He said that "Instead of using the top five
centimetres of the soil, you go down to 50cm or even deeper. You put clay in it
when it's needed, you put organic matter where it's needed as well." Bignell said
the trials had strengthened his view that South Australia should maintain a
moratorium on GM technology, which he said gave the state's produce a "market
edge". Bignell also said he believed results of the New Horizons program
could be replicated in all grain growing areas of the state. Bignell added that
"If you look at GM and the promises around increases of about seven per cent
in yields, why would you go for seven per cent when you can get 50 to 100 per
cent increases in yield without having to use genetically modified seeds?"
See also Australian Farmer
Selection Squatting
Station References
External links Farm Facts 2011
Agricultural Statistics - Australian Bureau of Statistics page.
Peterborough SA History - Goyder
The History Trust of South Australia has a map of Goyder's Line.
Agricultural industry strength in Australia