The Treasurer, Peter Costello, and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Warren Truss, have announced that the Productivity Commission will conduct an inquiry into Australia’s pig meat industry.
“The Government understands the pork industry’s concerns about the current economic difficulties being experienced by producers as a result of a combination of factors, including the drought, increasing import volumes, a higher Australian dollar and lower domestic prices,” Mr Truss said.
“The Government is, of course, concerned about the current economic situation facing the industry - particularly as it relates to regional employment and the need to ensure a sustainable and vibrant Australian pork industry.”
“The Government and industry have consulted extensively on these issues over the last several months, and one result of these meetings is the introduction of the Productivity Commission inquiry.” Mr Truss stated. “The Government has also announced, in May of this year, a $2 million initiative to capture global market opportunities for Australian pork by increasing its competitiveness across the Australian pork industry supply chain. This followed work by the joint industry-government working group established in February to consider the industry situation and to examine strategies for the profitable development of the industry into the future.”
Mr Costello said “The inquiry, to be completed within 5 months, will look at issues such as competitiveness and profitability, as well as the pig meat industry’s future prospects.”
“The inquiry will investigate the pigmeat industry’s current situation and outlook, and whether there is a need for any additional government and industry measures to enhance the industry’s competitiveness.”
The Productivity Commission will shortly invite expressions of interest from anyone wanting to participate in the review. The Ministers encourage all interested parties to make submissions to the Commission.
People who want to register their interest in the inquiry will find details on the Productivity Commission website at: www.pc.gov.au. The terms of reference for the inquiry are available from the Productivity Commission website.