Food security is an issue because Australia cannot feed double its population on its current diet in a drought year. How many will we be able to feed in a drought year when oil is largely unavailable in Australia in 20 years time and phosphate rock production is well in decline? This is why we need to consider population size and urban planning (to provide for urban agriculture) as part of food security:

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/52706

"Happened to see other stats while I was looking for the export figures and its clear that a lot of farm land in Australia is falling out of production. "-curmudgeon

Do you have a source for these stats Mark? I would be very interested to see them.

Well sorry, oil, machinery, fertiliser, labour have all increased
in price. People won't produce more, if its not worth their while.
Posted by Yabby, Friday, 20 May 2011 10:15:43 AM

Exactly Yabby, in addition to many other costs, drench, stock feed (farm produced or substitutes during drought), contending with bushfire losses (can wipe out the whole line of breeding)when a hobby farmer or small acre neighbour decides to take risks starting a bushfire welding or working in his shed during a 40 degree heatwave with hot winds fanning the flames, and/or the government advertises farming assistance $$ yet over the years never forthcoming.

Whingeing farmers with high incomes? No,I know not!

Dairy - the industry was de-regulated and lost most hard working dairy farmers/families, hence the high prices for dairy products over the past 10 years. Why should Australians complain? Few supported the Dairy Farmers, two families on my side lost their incomes down in VIC.

Food Imports - fruit and veg - well, given that Australian crop fruit and vegie growers in QLD had their crops and orchards wiped out, it now appears that some of those imports we contested strongly now come in handy to be honest. Disease risk or no disease risk.

Exports - we have not been exporting much over the years anyway given our history not supporting farmers and graziers.

Therefore, Michael, the answer to this query is "Yes, we are able to provide food security, IF both people and the Government support and assist the few professional Farmers and Graziers Australia has remaining, to meet everyone's daily food intakes.

weareunique gives a good example of the economic illiteracy underlying support for food security policies - the idea that government regulation of a market makes things cheaper for consumers, at the same time as increasing the incomes of producers.

"Dairy - the industry was de-regulated and lost most hard working dairy farmers/families, hence the high prices for dairy products over the past 10 years."

WAU, in case you haven't noticed, a litre of milk now costs less than a litre of water.

According to WAU's theory, consumers are a kind of milking cow that government should force to pay over the market price for the benefit of producers.

People who think that we can make products cheaper by having government take over the control of them, are literally so ignorant, so lost in a fantasy-land of statist magic pudding, that they hardly qualify to have an opinion on the matter

Bugsy - the stat on farmland falling out of production it was in an ABS release. Don't have it in front of me now but just look on their site. Otherwise I'll cite the series number ect when I get back to my desk on Monday. There has also been some publicity on it of late.. For that matter its an international trend. Also happening in the US. Not sure about Europe but agriculture there is so heavily subsidised the trends could well be disguised.

Lovejay - tough if people disagree. If you or Michael in Adelaide or wereunique with his own strange views on costs want to take the matter further, rather than have these bizarre discussions on amounts of food that is exported, then look at the quarterly review produced by ABARES. It some where in..
http://www.abares.gov.au/
Its the best I've seen, with breakdowns of stats and market reviews for each commodity. To suggest that Australia only exports grains, as one poster did, is absurd.
Somewhere in there is also graphs of agricultural productivity, which has flattened out in the past couple of decades or so. Is that a cause for concern in future decades? Doubt it, but there has been some discussion on the issue you may care to follow.

For the moment with farmland falling out of production and exports far in excess of imports, I just cannot see that we will be faced with any particular problem. After all, look at what happened in Europe when they subsidised certain commodities. Couldn't move for the stuff, and certainly couldn't sell it.

WAU, in case you haven't noticed, a litre of milk now costs less than a litre of water.

According to WAU's theory, consumers are a kind of milking cow that government should force to pay over the market price for the benefit of producers.

People who think that we can make products cheaper by having government take over the control of them, are literally so ignorant, so lost in a fantasy-land of statist magic pudding, that they hardly qualify to have an opinion on the matter
Posted by Peter Hume, Saturday, 21 May 2011 12:43:42 PM

One should bother with your viewpoints that no government policies should be in place to look over children under the age of 18 years?

That is the type of democratic? law abiding society you have wished upon Australian children and their families since the commencement of your postings Peter, therefore why would I bother sparring with you regarding your anti-government rants?

Ever milked cows 7 days per week in ice, sleet and rain during -3 temps Peter doing all the prep work prior to milking? Disinfecting the dairy sheds afterwards? Never having a break or holiday for 30 years?

Dairy Farmers and Producers for generations received jack$#@! - a roof over their heads (for the average dairy farmers in VIC over 40 years, a weatherboard, fibro or small brick home and lucky to have a meal daily) as a result of their past meagre incomes.

Its not the primary producers who receive the profits Peter, it is the 'middle man - greedy companies' and if you had read my post thoroughly, would have noticed that I had a go at the Government de-regulating the VIC industry which led to the higher prices for most dairy items.

La La Land?

Try getting your hands dirty in some real dirt Peter