THE agriculture sector will harvest a $600-million budget bounty, with a big focus on cutting red tape for farmers looking to export, carbon farming and biosecurity.
A $267m package will go towards reducing the cost and time of exporting, and making it easier for agriculture businesses to compete internationally.
As part of the funding, $80m will be provided to pandemic-affected small and medium export businesses to re-establish their presences in overseas markets, while $187m will go towards simplifying and streamlining the trade process.
More than $61m will be used to boost the nation's northern biosecurity border, which the government announced last week in Darwin.
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Lumpy skin disease, African swine fever and other vector-borne animal diseases have been identified in nearby neighbours, and there are growing concerns natural pathways - such as cyclones or migrating birds - may bring insects carrying diseases into the country's north.
The government believes the lumpy skin disease threat is so imminent, it's committing $15m to prepare industries to respond to a potential outbreak.
Japanese encephalitis (JEV) was recently discovered in Australia and believed to be carried on natural pathways. The government has committed $69m to respond to the emergence of the virus, which is carried by mosquitoes and can infect humans via pigs and water birds.
As part of the funding, $10m will be invested to support state and territory agriculture departments to undertake necessary JEV surveillance and control activities.
Producers will be supported to improve their on-farm biosecurity, through a three-year $20.1m grant program, with a particular focus on incentivising the adoption of livestock traceability.
The funding will be used to simplify participation for farmers and buyers, while providing on-ground support from Natural Resource Management organisations.
An expanded National Stewardship Trading Platform will make trading easier, and improved baseline data on biodiversity will help farmers and buyers trade with confidence.
The government will slash the tax on income from Australian Carbon Credit Units and biosecurity certifications by re-classifying the profits from off-farm income to on-farm income, which is expected to save primary producers $100m over the next four years.
A second round of support grants, worth $15.4m, will be available to agriculture shows that were devastated by the pandemic, most of which were cancelled two years in a row.
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Large agricultural trade events will be sponsored through a $12m investment, with $6m already committed to the Beef 2024 event.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the government's commitment would help the agriculture sector get closer to its goal of being a $100-billion industry by 2030.
"Our government has a long history of backing Australian farmers," Mr Littleproud said.
"We're putting our money where our mouth is, supporting new programs so farmers can capitalise on export success, prepare for any tough times ahead, and stand at the centre of prosperity and growth across the nation."
Mr Littleproud said the government was preparing the nation's farmers for future challenges, with $84.5m committed to drought resilience programs over the next four years, the details of which will be released in the next week.
Over the next four years, $23.4m will be invested into plant breeding, and agricultural agvet chemical innovation and commercialisation.
"Innovation is driving the next wave of agricultural productivity," Mr Littleproud said.
"To unlock the potential of Australian agriculture, we are putting in place settings to encourage innovation."
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