WA's potato industry - Shire President speaks out!
MEDIA RELEASE - WA's Potato Industry - Shire President speaks out
January 2015
Shire of Manjimup President Wade DeCampo is raising concern over misconceived perceptions surrounding the growing and marketing of potatoes in Western Australia.Following comments from the Chief Executive Officer of Western Australia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the regulation of the potato industry in WA is "ridiculous", and one rogue potato grower disregarding his allocated quota in what appears to be a move to build their own enterprise, Cr DeCampo is setting out in defence of the Potato Marketing Corporation (PMC), the Southern Forests region and the stereotypical 'family farm'.
The growing and marketing of potatoes in Western Australia is regulated under the Marketing of Potatoes Act (1946) and the Marketing of Potatoes Regulations (1987). The Act is reviewed every five years to ensure that the community and industry are still benefiting from its enforcement, and in 2014 the Potato Growers Association commissioned a report that provides evidence showing that the existing system works - "the benefits far outweigh the costs, both economically and to the community," said Cr DeCampo.
"The regulation of the industry produces a positive triple-bottom-line effect - smaller producers are given a quota of production which keeps the family farm afloat and means people remain in regional communities, it ensures a continual supply of fresh potatoes year-round without the wastage experienced in other states and it keeps the price of potatoes stable for Western Australian consumers," explained Cr DeCampo.
Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt has knocked the PMC for advertising in Friday's The West, accusing them of political campaigning. Cr DeCampo responded by saying "the Potato Marketing Corporation's overall campaign has meant that Western Australia is the only State where the potato market has held its own, and gained traction, compared to other states where potatoes have lost market share to alternative carbohydrates. Western Australian consumers deserve to know the truth about what they're getting when it comes to potatoes, and that's what Friday's advertisement did."
A large portion of the State's potato production comes out of the Shire of Manjimup, also known as the Southern Forests region. "Potato production contributes greatly to our local economy - changes to the current system could have severely negative economic, social and environmental impacts on our community, right when the region is gaining momentum as the food bowl of WA, and agriculture as a career path is looking more and more attractive." The potato industry is also represented by farming families from as far as Dandaragan and GinGin in the north, the Myalup strip heading towards Busselton and the Cape, along with Donnybrook and further south to the Southern Forests.
"There is no valid argument to support the notion that the potato industry shouldn't be regulated just because no other vegetable market is regulated. It is not the only regulated industry that has survived the ages through the stability it provides to stakeholders and consumers - look at fishing, timber, taxis, pharmaceuticals, lotteries, I could go on."
"Rather than paying attention to the outlandish statements made by a few people who know little about the industry or the Potato Marketing Corporation, the general public should be paying attention to the growers and the truth," concluded Cr DeCampo.
-ENDS-
Authorised by Andrew Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, Shire of Manjimup.
Contact: 9771 7777
Contact Gina Nieuwendyk, Public Relations Officer, Shire of Manjimup
Contact: 9771 7777
Contact for comment: Wade DeCampo, Shire President.
Contact: 0427 094 081
