ENERGY has been named as a top priority by the newly formed Australian Agricultural Manufacturers’ Alliance (AAMA), which represents a brace of animal-product, fibre and grain-processing organisations looking for a lobbying voice.

AAMA met last week to begin its work on the topic of energy, but has also given priority to the impact on members’ businesses of improving road infrastructure, reducing regulatory burden, resolving water issues and optimising terms of trade.

All sectors represented in AAMA are large-scale employers, and major users of energy.

Organisations represented at the inaugural AAMA meeting were: the Australian Meat Industry Council; the Australian Renderers’ Association Inc.; the Australian Sugar Milling Council; the Australian Poultry Industries Association; the Australian Dairy Products Federation; the Stock Feed Manufacturers’ Council of Australia; the Australian Cotton Ginners’ Group, and the Australian Oilseeds Federation.

AMIC last week convened the inaugural AAMA meeting, and representatives have already met with Federal Environment and Energy Minister, Josh Frydenberg.

Josh Frydenberg

“Our members are working with different raw materials, but a lot of our challenges are the same, and energy is absolutely at the head of the list. We look forward to working with industry and government to help find solutions around security in costs, policy certainty, and helping businesses make the most of new generation power sources,”Alliance member and AMIC CEO, Patrick Hutchinson, said.

“We will work together to share ideas, data and learning.”

“While agri-manufacturers have been represented within their own sub-sectors, until now there has been no overarching agri-manufacturing group to advance their common interests.

“The alliance structure is still being formalised and ratified, but all the groups are enthusiastic about the value the new organisation will deliver and are keen to get to work.”

Source: AMIC