Australian agriculture has much to be proud of in what has been a difficult, emotional 2019 for the eight million families who chose to live and work outside our capital cities.
The agriculture sector contributes about $60 billion to our national economy and employs about 700,000 hardworking Australians.
The Nationals back the sector's ambitious plan to become a $100 billion industry by 2030.
Minister for Agriculture, Senator Bridget McKenzie said the government was focused on supporting farmers through drought and on delivering on election commitments.
"Since the election our Government has made an extra $1 billion to support our farmers and their communities through drought as well as making an additional $1 billion in interest free loans available," Minister McKenzie said.
"We've simplified the Farm Household Allowance, making the support that puts food on the table of farming families in hardship available to more people and for longer.
"Our Government will continue to stand with our farming families through the drought and through the years of recovery - that's why we have an eye on the future - because we know the best years for our farmers are in front of us and our election commitments lay the groundwork to help the sector achieve its full potential.
"There's $1.5 million in support for our dairy industry to improve financial and legal acumen, develop a standard contract, look at new milk price and trading platforms and develop block chain technology.
"And we delivered a Mandatory Code of Conduct for the dairy industry that takes effect today, shaped by dairy farmers and for dairy farmers - ahead of schedule.
"We've delivered $3.5 million to the Farm Safety Education Fund to improve on-farm safety.
"We've made $20 million available to regional agricultural shows in grants to upgrade infrastructure so future generations of Australians can grow up with a better understanding of what our farmers deliver to our nation.
"We've delivered $3 million to encourage the update of cooperative business models and $1.5 million to promote the role of bees - those buzzy pollinators - in agriculture.
"We've announced the National Agricultural Workforce Advisory Committee that will deliver a strategy to government by July 2020 to tackle the two issues of encouraging Australians into the super exciting world of 21st century agriculture through appropriately targeted education as well as looking at our need for continued overseas workers.
"We've delivered $3.9 million to Beef Australia to talk up our beef in international markets.
"We've invested $4 million into looking at how biodiversity management on farm can be turned into profits for our farmers.
"We've opened a grant round of the Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation Program - worth $6.8 million to help farmers access new and profitable markets.
"And we've started the process of modernising the agricultural research and development system - an important precursor to achieving our future aims."
Minister McKenzie said the Nationals in Government had delivered on their election commitment to make sure farms were safe places to work with $1.9 million to FarmSafe.
"New export legislation will make it easier for our agricultural exporters to do business overseas," Minister McKenzie said.
"Trade and market access is how we grow the value of agriculture. That's why we've made $1.5 million available to help farmers access overseas markets.
"We passed legislation to bring our agricultural exporters a step closer to benefiting from the Peru, Hong Kong and Indonesia trade agreements.
"We've convened the first Indian agribusiness roundtable to help our food and fibre exporters to unlock the lucrative and expanding Indian market and Australia's world-renowned wine industry will be able to protect its valuable intellectual property rights in international markets thanks to our Government.
"We've passed the farm trespass laws that stop those opposed to farming from inciting others to invade farms and harass farming families.
"And to protect our reputation as providers of safe, quality food and fibre we've been focused on biosecurity, establishing a new consultative forum between government and industry.
"Our Government has boosted biosecurity funding by $66.6 million to put more officers, detector dogs and state-of-the-art x-ray machines on the front line to protect Australia against the global advance of African swine fever (ASF).
"If this disease gets in it could decimate our pork industry that contributes $5.2 billion to our farmers' hip pockets, regional economies and the nation's bottom line.
"Right now the threat is ASF - there's no cure, no vaccine and about a quarter of the world's pigs have been wiped out because of it."
The Minister said the commitment will continue in 2020.
"We know the agriculture sector has a sustainable and prosperous future in front of it so we'll keep working to help industry achieve that," Minister McKenzie said.
