AS members of the agricultural industry, we thank the Federal and State Governments for the long overdue commitment to begin the process of rebuilding the grain rail system in Western Australia.
Graingrowers, the community and the economy have lost in excess of a $1 billion from our recent $7b harvest by not being able to move our grain fast enough to capture the high prices on offer.
It is not just farmers and our service providers who are losing valuable dollars, but the Australian Taxation Office will lose about $250 million in taxes.
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With the present antiquated rail system, we cannot deliver grain to ports quick enough before the northern hemisphere crops are harvested during the northern hemisphere summer.
The ports can handle the grain, but the rail and road systems are the problem and by not carting our grain quick enough will further decrease the value of our current crop.
Some would suggest putting more trucks on roads and using larger road-trains to move grain along country roads and through the city to ports as a solution.
Trucks are not the long-term solution, as rail is about 17 times more efficient than road transport and dramatically reduces the carbon footprint and the impacts on our roads and communities.
If you are concerned about climate change, please let all budding and elected politicians know, as well as CBH directors, that you support an updated country rail system as the long-term solution to dramatically reduce grains carbon footprint and the unnecessary impacts road transport puts on our communities.