Statements, Submissions and Letters

Our recommendations:

• The National Food Security Strategy names, and serves to mitigate the health and environmental harms caused to our food system by pesticides.
• All industry-coined terms such as ‘protection chemicals’ and ‘critical inputs’ are removed and replaced with neutral, accurate terminology: pesticides, chemical pesticides, hazardous pesticides.
• The Food Security Strategy includes metrics and targets for pesticide reduction, particularly highly hazardous pesticides, in line with comparable international food strategies, as well as our national and global commitments. Pesticide reduction targets should accompany commitments to support Australian farmers reduce usage and transition to nature-friendly farming.
• The Food Security Strategy adopts and implements a rights-based approach and must be anchored to and fulfil requirements under our right to adequate food, our right to a clean, healthy environment, and the rights of the child.
• A broader range of governmental departments beyond the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry are resourced and engaged in the development and implementation of the National Food Security Strategy in order to facilitate coordinated action across multiple departments to the benefit of Australia’s national interest. This may involve the National Food Council reporting to Cabinet as a cross-portfolio body.
• The Food Security Strategy aligns and is linked with the National Biodiversity Strategy environmental commitments and goals outlined in Australia’s Strategy for Nature and the Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Health and nutrition are prioritised to a fourth key priority area and the importance of reducing people’s pesticide exposure through food production and consumption is addressed.