New brand of NFF
Feature Article in Farm Business magazine
Published: 8 September 2006
by
David Crombie
President
National Farmers’ Federation
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) is embarking on a new strategic plan. It’s always
healthy to reassess where you’ve been and where you’re going. Under the new 2006-09
Strategic Plan, the NFF is refocusing on its core business of lobbying and advocacy at the
highest levels of Government and, importantly to a new focus ‘the broader community’, on
behalf of Australian farmers.
This, of course, has always been the NFF charter, but it is easy to get distracted and go off on
tangents. The new NFF Vision is for …
‘A strong, progressive and sustainable farming sector in Australia’.
This is what the NFF has always stood for, but it reinforces our role and gives the
organisation sharper focus.
NFF cannot handle all of the issues facing farmers. Grass roots issues need to be handled by
grass roots member organisations. NFF exists to pursue those issues that state farming
organisations and commodity groups cannot.
Much has been made recently about unity among farming organisations. I have of ten said
“disunity in sport, in business and in politics, is death”. This doesn’t refer to membership
alone. ‘Unity of purpose’ and cohesion are essential.
The idea is to have robust debate on issues and then take a coherent message forward – to
Governments and the broader community. The NFF is committed to developing high-level
policies for a modern, innovative, forward-looking agricultural sector.
Under the NFF’s 2006-09 Strategic Plan, four core goals have been identified:
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Maintain and improve competitiveness
Secure and grow domestic and international markets
Sustainability – economic, environmental and social
Increase positive community perception and awareness of Australian agriculture
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NFF has exciting programs in improving competitiveness through research and development,
telecommunications legislation, to name just two.
NFF is also active in resource management through the National Water Initiative and our
Environmental Stewardship program, designed to put vegetation management more into the
hands of farmers.
But, today, I want to concentrate on world trade, communications and unity of purpose.
World Trade
Securing and growing our domestic and international markets means improving domestic
market power conditions for farm businesses and reducing market access barriers faced by
Australian farm exports in international markets.
NFF is also committed to reducing unfair competition from subsidised products in Australian
domestic and our export markets, and ensuring a robust, effective, science-based biosecurity
and quarantine framework.
World trade is a key issue.
Australia exports 64% of our agricultural produce. A massive 98% of Australia’s wool and cotton
is exported. Two-thirds of our beef and three-quarters of our wheat heads overseas. Some 80% of
our sugar and over half of our dairy production is destined for world markets.
New opportunities and markets are opening up all the time. Sure, not as many or as quickly as we
would like, but the movement to free trade is real.
It’s hard work. Change doesn’t come easy, but the NFF is committed to trying. Why? We can
either choose to be in the vanguard of that generational shift and seize those trade opportunities,
or be left behind.
Just a few years ago Australia exported virtually no sheep meat to the US. Today that market is
worth $350 million-a-year. New trading rules through the WTO have seen beef tariffs in Japan
fall from 70% to 38%, and we have also seen subsidises on dairy produce exported by the
European Union (EU) slashed, which have allowed Australian producers to bolster their exports.
In fact, as the World Bank recently pointed out, if world trade barriers were cut by just half of
their current levels, it would deliver another $2.7 billion-a-year to the incomes of Australian
farmers.
Under these circumstances, it is clear why the NFF is not engaged in protectionist banter.
Opening new markets and improving the terms of trade in existing markets is our mission.
Again, it’s hard work, but the rewards for Australian agriculture are worth the effort.
Public Awareness
The other area I wanted to touch upon is communications. Under the NFF’s new Strategic
Plan, we recognised that as an organisation we had done great work in forging links and
positioning agriculture with Governments – but had forgotten about the broader community –
that is, the ‘court of public opinion’.
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For the first time the NFF now has a Communications Strategy. That is, a communication
plan based on in-depth market research, to push the agenda of agriculture.
We are drawing on market research to inform our directions, promoting messages the resonate
with the broader community in solidifying positive perceptions of agriculture, while also
wearing down those ingrained misconceptions about us.
Under this strategy, we will raise the positive profile of farming issues and promote the
innovative practices involved in modern, dynamic, competitive and sustainable farming. In
doing so, we will build awareness of farming, its role, contribution and value to the broader
community.
Thereby, we will establish confidence, trust and credibility in the information, services,
expertise and endeavours of the farming community – bringing the broader community along
on relevant issues – and focusing community and stakeholder attention accordingly; and
ultimately we will be able to influence community and stakeholder attitudes.
Unity
Now, more than ever, it is vital that agriculture speaks with one voice. That voice must be the
National Farmers’ Federation (NFF).
Much has been made of a so-called ‘divide’ between city and country. In fact, I don’t think
there is a lot of difference between the attitudes, values and aspirations of city and country
people. The problem is one of communication and understanding.
What is evident is that agriculture must win back the confidence and respect of the Australian
community. We need to take pride in our contribution to the nation and be positive about the
role that agriculture plays in modern Australia.
We know from research that metropolitan Australians often see farming as ‘old fashioned’,
‘not relevant to a modern economy’ and ‘not presenting career opportunities for our youth’.
Frankly, it’s not metropolitan Australians’ fault that they think like this. We need to talk
ourselves, and our industries, up.
We don’t want the ‘battler’ tag anymore. We’re not content with being portrayed and seen as
‘doing it tough’. Australian agriculture is a world leader. It’s time we started reminding
people of that fact.
Winning back this understanding and community trust for Australian agriculture is not a
quick fix. But neither need it be distant goal.
Over the coming months NFF will launch a series of initiatives to this end to reflect a more
engaged and modern presence. Some, like the new brand (logo), will be visible in the public
domain, some, by necessity, will not. But this is the task NFF is committed to.
[ENDS]
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