THE GRAIN trade and production sector remain opposed on grower calls for an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry (ACCC) into the grain supply chain.
During a session at the recent Australian Grains Industry Conference (AGIC) Grain Producers Australia (GPA) southern director Andrew Weidemann reaffirmed his group's desire for an inquiry.
"It is something that has not been done since the deregulation of the wheat market and we feel it would be worthwhile to find out if the industry is working as well as it could be," Mr Weidemann said.
"Only by having the ACCC involved with powers of compulsion in regards to information will we get the full picture and that is why we continue to lobby government to get the ACCC to look into it," he said.
However, chief executive of Grain Trade Australia, the trade's peak body, Pat O'Shannassy said the only reason for such an inquiry would be market failure and strongly denied this was the case.
"There has always been a sector of the grower community who feel hard done by and feel the trade gets a bigger slice of pie than it deserves," Mr O'Shannassy said in a strongly worded statement.