Op-ed published in The Ararat Advocate, Pyrenees Advocate and Stawell Times-News on 12 June 2026
For regional Victoria, farming is more than an industry. It is the backbone of our communities, local economies and food security. Yet for too long, many farmers and fresh food suppliers have faced an uneven playing field when negotiating with large supermarkets.
Fresh produce suppliers often enter negotiations at a disadvantage. Their products are perishable, growing cycles can be long, and when produce goes unsold, many upfront costs cannot be recovered. That reality can leave suppliers with limited bargaining power.
Addressing this imbalance is a key focus of the Albanese Government’s reforms to the grocery sector.
Beginning later this year, farmers and fresh food suppliers will be able to access free education and training through the new Know Your Grocery Code program.
Delivered by the National Farmers’ Federation and AUSVEG through face-to-face and online workshops, the program will help suppliers better understand their rights under the mandatory Food and Grocery Code of Conduct and approach negotiations with greater confidence.
The program complements broader reforms designed to improve fairness across supermarket supply chains. The Albanese Government has introduced stronger penalties for breaches of the mandatory code and is progressing recommendations from the ACCC’s supermarket inquiry to improve competition, transparency and accountability across the sector.
However, stronger protections are only effective if suppliers know how to use them. Equipping farmers and growers with the knowledge to understand their rights is an important step towards delivering fairer outcomes.
Across Victoria, farmers and producers are also dealing with rising input costs and global uncertainty, particularly following disruptions to fuel and fertiliser markets caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
To help ease these pressures, Federal Labor has taken action to strengthen Australia’s fuel and fertiliser security. Through the $7.5 billion Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility, an additional 31,000 tonnes of urea and 50 million litres of diesel have been secured.
This brings the total fertiliser supported under the facility to around 240,000 tonnes of urea, alongside approximately 740 million litres of diesel and 150 million litres of jet fuel across 18 additional shipments.
By improving access to these essential supplies, the facility provides greater certainty for farmers making planting and production decisions, while helping to boost Australia’s agricultural supply chains.
Farmers and fresh food suppliers deserve a fair go – both at the negotiating table and when securing essential supplies needed to keep their businesses running.
By tackling supermarket power imbalances while strengthening fuel and fertiliser security, the Albanese Government is backing the hard work of Victoria’s agricultural communities and helping build a more resilient industry.
