Issues Facing Australian Agriculture
The major issues facing agriculture in Australia are drought, water security, low soil fertility, weeds, global warming caused by climate change, biosecurity (biological threats from imported foods and livestock), tariffs on Australian exports in the importing country (particularly in Europe and Japan), subsidies to farmers in other countries (see Doha Development Round), currency fluctuations and price volatility. The wheat industry has also faced the end of the "single desk" marketing system after the Australian Wheat Board was found during the Cole Inquiry to have illegally paid bribes to officials in Iraq.
The agricultural industry is one of the most trade-exposed sectors of the Australian economy. According to Charles McElhorn from the National Farmers Federation a 1% change in the value of Australian dollar is equivalent to a change of $220 million in export earnings.
Read more about this topic: Agriculture In Australia
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