MORE than 1000 people have registered for tomorrow’s National Farmer Rally in Canberra, to protest a series of anti-farming policies set for the industry in recent times.

Labor and Coalition politicians have been invited to speak at the rally, with Nationals MPs announcing their support for the movement.

The rally is being organised by the National Farmers’ Federation to start at 11am in the Federation Mall, opposite Parliament House, in Canberra tomorrow.  More than 60 trucks and 1200 primary producers and others from as far distant as Western Australia and the Northern Territory have officially registered to attend. But organisers believe there could be significantly more people who have not officially registered.

The rally has been organised in two parts:

• A truck rally, which will start at Goulburn at 6:30am and Yass at 7am is expected to come together and drive down the main street of Canberra and past Parliament House.
• A rally on the lawn outside of parliament, which will hear multiple speeches.

Organisers of the rally said it is about giving the industry a voice in a political environment that is clearly not listening.

The organisers also said it is a peaceful protest where people who go outside “acceptable social standards” will be asked to leave – that includes bringing livestock to Parliament House.

The NFF has said it has seven primary concerns:

• The activist-led ban on live sheep exports by sea
• Calls to scrap the Diesel Fuel Rebate
• Proposed new taxes for biosecurity and on superannuation
• Calls to scrap the 88 days of specified work for backpackers
• Water buybacks in the Murray Darling Basin and protecting the Great Artesian Basin
• Unnecessary red tape from Scope 3 emissions reporting
• The community impacts of energy and renewables developments\

Nationals announce support for rally

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said the party will stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with farmers at the rally.

“The Nationals 100 percent support our farmers attending the National Farmer Rally outside Canberra Parliament House,” Mr Littleproud said.

“This Labor Government has decimated our farming and agriculture industry. It has been over 40 years since farmers last felt so aggrieved to protest against a government.

“It’s easy to understand why our farmers are fed up, after being constantly attacked by Labor and its anti-farming policies, from water buybacks to reckless renewables and its senseless phase out of our live sheep export trade.”