Nats vow to drop biosec levy and bring back scrapped container levy

Party leader David Littleproud made the commitment, despite the next federal election being at least two years away.

The Nationals also promised to replace Labor's decision with a container levy, a policy the Coalition backflipped on last time they were in government.

From July 2024, a new levy will be introduced for primary producers "equivalent to 10 per cent of the 2020-21 levy rates".

READ MORE: Everything we know about the new 10pc biosecurity levy on farmers

Mr Littleproud said farmers would have to pass the cost on to consumers, resulting in higher grocery prices at the check out.

"To slug our farmers with a new multi-million-dollar tax, who will now be forced to pay for the risks of international importers, is unjust," Mr Littleproud said

"Why would any Australian government tax their own farmers, to pay for foreigners to bring their products into this country?

"The Nationals, as part of a Coalition Government, will stop Labor's new tax, in order to protect and support our farmers, while also helping to ease financial pressures on families."

The Nationals leader said a future Coalition government would establish an importer container levy, as recommended by the independent Craik Biosecurity review.

The former Coalition government previously promised to implement a container levy, before scrapping it at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to importer pressure.

Instead Mr Littleproud, the then-Agriculture Minister, asked his department to investigate a user-pay cost recovery model.

READ MORE: What's in the budget for regional Australia and agriculture

"Under our plan, importers of foreign products will pay for the biosecurity risk they pose - not Australian farmers," Mr Littleproud said.

"Labor has prioritised importers before Australian farmers. In stark contrast, The Nationals will always put Australian farmers first.

"It makes sense that those importing into Australia pay for the biosecurity risk of their products that they benefit from selling here."

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said the container levy was still on the table, but there were international trade law issues that had to be worked through.

"I'm quite open to the idea of importing an import or container levy once we've done the work to make sure that it can legally stand up," Senator Watt said.

"But we're definitely not ruling it out. It's just that it takes a bit of time to work these issues through and we want to do it properly.

"We saw what happened last time a government went off and knee-jerk announced a container levy and then had to back down."