17 May 2012
New Zealand And Australia Join Forces At World Farmers’
Federated Farmers of New Zealand and the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) have today announced that they will both
apply for membership of international agricultural advocacy body, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO).
The WFO will bring together national farming bodies from across the globe to create policy and advocate on behalf of the
world’s farmers - providing benefits to both Australian and New Zealand farmers, says NFF President Jock Laurie and
Federated Farmers President Bruce Wills.
“Since the demise of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers two years ago, farm representation on an
international scale has been at a crossroads,” Mr Wills said.
“This has led to ineffective representation for our farmers at key international forums, like the UN International Fund
for Agricultural Development, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the UN and the World Organisation for Animal Health.
“The NFF and Federated Farmers both have a long history of support for agricultural representation on the international
level, and our organisations believe it’s critical that any new body, like the WFO, provides strong engagement on common
issues like climate change, food security, trade, productivity growth, biotechnology and animal welfare,” Mr Wills said.
Mr Laurie said a particular focus for both Australia and New Zealand will be helping to shape WFO policy around the
sensitive issue of trade.
“Farmers in both Australia and New Zealand are heavily dependent on new market access opportunities and on removing
distorting trade barriers, so this will be one of our key focuses at the WFO,” Mr Laurie said.
“We’ll also be working to ensure that the WFO develops policies that will increase the economic viability of our rural
communities, contribute to food security and sustainable rural development, and assist in supporting farmers in the
global marketplace.
“The WFO’s mandate is to advocate on behalf of the world’s farmers for the improved livelihoods of producers, their
families and rural communities – so it is essential that Australian, New Zealand and indeed all Oceania farmers are
represented. This is a significant opportunity for us to represent farmers in our region on the world stage and to
influence the policies of an organisation that will, in turn, influence leading global bodies,” Mr Laurie said.
The NFF and Federated Farmers will attend the WFO General Assembly in Rome on 6-9 June. The NFF has received support
from the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to attend the WFO, while Federated Farmers has
received support from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Federated Farmers of New Zealand