Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce has welcomed the decision to maintain the single desk and now implores key interest and farmers’ groups to work diligently towards the creation of a new single desk body by March next year.

“If we cannot achieve this goal we will not achieve a victory but rather a stay of execution. It is vital for Australia, in its quest to maintain a marketing advantage over the US and EU with this key export for our nation, that we achieve the goal of the new entity by March next year.

“If we fail in achieving a new single desk by next March there will be a return of the deregulation forces, more organised and stronger than before. We currently have a position in the world where 60% of our wheat is purchased by single desk buyers, this is a world where the US and EU subsidise their farmers and where the US entices markets by export grant, that is, you buy my product I give you money.

“We will be at a strategic disadvantage if we lose the single desk. A deregulated market will ultimately result in one thing: less money for the majority of wheat farmers and less money for the nation. The simple reason for this is if one person is buying wheat and three people turn up to sell it to him, who is he going to buy it from if they are all selling the same product? Obviously, he will purchase the cheapest. The way to get a around this is if one person is buying then send only one person to sell.

“The domestic market is deregulated, the bags and container markets for export are deregulated and the new entity will be farmer owned and controlled so the future is bright. There is a corner there for everybody who wants it but it will all come to nought if we don’t get organised now.” Senator Joyce said.