The Food Vision Tillage Group meeting on Wednesday provided some positivity at an extremely challenging time for tillage farmers.

The announcement that farmers will get a sustainability payment on their malting barley by a Government-backed scheme delivers on a long-standing request, and all partners are to be commended on pulling it together.

Hopefully it delivers for farmers, and drinks companies back it.

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The comment from Minister Heydon that he wants to strengthen the feed supply chain and reduce reliance on imports will be welcomed by tillage farmers frustrated by talk of Mercosur beef when grain is coming from those countries all of the time to feed our animals.

Overall, tillage is still struggling, but there looks to be an acknowledgment that it needs help from the whole industry.