The National Farmers' Federation (NFF) has launched its new 'NFF Lunch and Learn' series with a compelling inaugural session centred on Australia's food security. Held on 30 June 2025, the first event attracted more than 80 participants from across the agricultural sector.
The feature presentation was delivered by Andrew Henderson, lead author of the National Food Security Preparedness Green Paper published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The presentation underscored the need to elevate food security as a national strategic priority, on par with defence, arguing that Australia's agriculture and food system must be better prepared for future disruptions and geopolitical uncertainty.
The ASPI Green Paper, released in April 2025, calls for a coordinated and proactive national response to secure Australia's food supply chain. It identifies vulnerabilities across production, distribution, infrastructure, and trade systems, and outlines fourteen policy options to underpin a whole-of-nation preparedness framework. Among its key recommendations are assigning food security responsibilities to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), and ensuring food-related issues are represented at the highest levels of government, including the National Security Committee of Cabinet.
The Green Paper has become a key input into the NFF's ongoing policy advocacy to support the development of the Australian Government's Feeding Australia strategy, a forthcoming national food security plan aimed at enhancing supply chain resilience and long-term sustainability of food systems. The NFF continues to champion a member-driven approach in shaping this agenda, ensuring that the voice of primary producers remains central to national discussions.
With the great support of members, NFF is playing a lead role in discussions leading to the Australian Government's work to develop a security strategy, dubbed 'Feeding Australia'.
The NFF Lunch and Learn series forms part of the NFF's broader commitment to strengthening knowledge-sharing, engagement and collaboration across Australia's farm advocacy network. Designed as a practical and inclusive initiative, the series offers high-quality briefings on critical issues affecting agriculture, from market access and climate adaptation to biosecurity and workforce planning.
"The strong attendance and rich discussion at our first session show there's a real appetite across the NFF member network for meaningful engagement on the big issues. The series helps bring national policy conversations back to our members and reinforces the value of working together to shape agriculture's future," NFF Chief Executive Troy Williams said.
Future Lunch and Learn sessions are already in development, with upcoming topics ranging from insurance, on-farm sustainability, energy supply and pricing, and workforce issues. The events will continue to provide board-level insights in a format that supports both accessibility and strategic impact.
By launching this series with a focus on food security, the NFF has set a strong tone, one that links farm advocacy with national interest and positions agriculture as essential to Australia's long-term security and prosperity.
