Today, we stand together with the Australian agricultural industry in opposing the Biosecurity Protection Levy.
CEO of Melons Australia, Johnathon Davey has openly opposed the levy on behalf of melon growers saying, “we strongly oppose the Biosecurity Protection Levy (BPL) in its entirety due to significant flaws in its proposal. Despite potential restructuring, the current system fails to recognise existing primary producers' contributions to our national Biosecurity system, including those of Australian melon growers. Additionally, there are concerns about the financial burden imposed by the proposed 30% levy increase, lack of transparent fund allocation, and absence of consultation.
“The proposed BPL lacks clarity and fairness, with no cap on industry levies and inadequate accountability for risk creators. We advocate for a more equitable funding solution, such as the implementation of a container levy, as recommended by the Craik review and announced in the 2023 budget. However, there has been no progress on this front, despite alternative proposals from industry stakeholders.
“Implementing the additional BPL levy risks driving growers away from agriculture due to the
ever increasing cost impost. Moreover, the BPL poses a real threat to vital agreements like the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD), putting the entire biosecurity system at risk, which must be prevented.
“We feel there is a need to acknowledge and allocate funding from all beneficiaries of biosecurity, not increase the burden on our nations primary producers. The Government needs to look at other funding sources and fully appreciate the public good of implementing proper biosecurity systems. With no cap on industry payments and a lack of transparency on fund allocation, concerns arise about the effectiveness of the BPL in delivering any tangible biosecurity outcomes. The absence of consultation and industry voting on the levy's implementation raises doubts about its legitimacy and therefore it functions more as a production tax than a levy, hence why we are saying #scrapthetax!
“We stress that the proposed BPL, as outlined in all documentation provided to date, fails to deliver on the objective of establishing a robust and sustainably funded biosecurity system. It is imperative that the government engages in thorough research and consultation to redesign the framework as a matter or urgency, ensuring a fair and effective funding model that truly reflects shared responsibilities and addresses the concerns of all stakeholders involved in Australia's biosecurity.”
Why we are against the levy
- Farmers already contribute billions towards biosecurity through existing levies, on-farm pest and disease management, traceability systems, and emergency plant pest responses.
- This levy doesn’t follow the usual rules for existing industry levies (that also contribute to Australia’s biosecurity system).
- It doesn’t align with the National Biosecurity Strategy, a strategy agreed on by Federal, state and territory governments.
- Farmers and agricultural businesses haven’t been told how the Levy will be collected and managed.
- Collected funds will not go directly to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry, which is responsible for Australia’s biosecurity, instead they will be go into government coffers.
- Independent experts including the Australian National University, Productivity Commission and Office of Impact Analysis have expressed concerns, saying the levy is inefficient and at odds with standard tax practice.
