Press Release

The State Government’s decision to dismantle WA’s Grain Licensing Authority has just expanded the horizons for growing barley, lupins and canola in the State, according to the Pastoralists and Graziers’ Association.

“We can now say that 70 or more years of totally regulated grain marketing in this State is finally at an end and that growers may now choose how they market their own grain and who they choose to sell it to,” said PGA Western Graingrowers Chairman, Leon Bradley.

“The GLA was welcome when it was formed in 2003 to open the way for competition in our grain markets.  The first Chairman, the late Colin Mann established a decision-making process based strictly on evidence as a principle to ensure that the Authority was able to successfully introduce new buyers for WA grain and to complete the transition to a free market.”

Mr Bradley said Minister Terry Redman’s action in the Legislative Assembly yesterday, would  remove the  final shackles from barley, lupins and canola export markets and was welcomed by WA’s new world trading partners as well as grain growers.

“As happened with the deregulation of Australia’s wheat industry – which the PGA fought for so long and so hard - we anticipate major benefits to flow throughout the non-wheat grain industries.”

“WA grain growers have endured a ‘global recession’ for many years in terms of the stunted single desk grain marketing system imposed on them.”

“We can now shake that liability free at a time when the world is crying out for our grain and traders are flooding into WA to develop long term ties with our growers.”