Leader of the Australian Nationals in the Senate, Barnaby Joyce, has said that the international trade lobby is squashing Australian farmers and small business people through uneven trade practices and poor labelling laws. Discussing the fight to label Australian grown food he noted, “The majors are saying you can’t have branding because it discriminates against imported products.That’s exactly what I want it to do!” He said that he is economically to the left because “people have bastardised the free market to mean anything goes for the major player in town.” He believes that family farmers, small business people and regional citizens are disadvantaged by global trade agreements and multinational agribusiness. “Are we prepared to pull down our strides (on international free trade), while the rest of the world is fully clothed?” he asked.
Australian family farmers and small businesses are being rolled by forces that have grown powerful in the absence of dissent, Barnaby Joyce believes.
The self-confessed ‘agrarian socialist’ and leader of the Nationals in the Senate says he is ‘economically to the left because people have bastardised the free market to mean anything goes for the major player in town.’
“This ultimately leads to small business, whether they are farmers or otherwise, being squashed,” Senator Joyce says.
“Look at the ridiculous fight we are having trying to get Australian branding onto home-grown fruit and vegetables and foodstuffs.
“The majors are saying you can’t have branding because it discriminates against imported products.
“That’s exactly what I want it to do!”
He applauds moves by the upcoming Obama administration in the United States to implement reciprocity in trade.
Obama’s approach, as the President-elect puts it: “You put a tariff on your product, I’ll put a tariff on mine,”
Senator Joyce asks: “Are we prepared to pull down our strides (on international free trade), while the rest of the world is fully clothed?”