Parliament joins the food fight - inquires into peri-urban farming, food security

Submissions are now being accepted for the Legislative Assembly inquiry into the state's food bowl, while the Upper House is looking into food security.

The Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee is looking closely at the farming and manufacturing of food in peri-urban areas.

Committee chair Wendouree Labor MP, Julia Addison, said the inquiry would look at the impact of urban sprawl and population growth, on the fringe of the state's major cities and regional towns.

Ms Addison said securing Victoria's food supply was vital for the future.

"With our state's population expected to rise above 10 million by the 2050s we must ensure we have enough arable land to sustain all of our food production needs," Ms Addison said.

"Agriculture and farming industries crucially provide the fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and countless other foods all of us rely on every day.

"We need to consider ways to overcome the present and future challenges, so we can guarantee the longevity of our state's food supply."

She said planning protections and restrictions, urban growth boundaries, climate change and Melbourne's green wedges may also be considered by the inquiry.

"We want to hear from people involved in farming and other agricultural businesses on the peri-urban fringe of Victoria's major cities and regional centres,' she said.

"We would also appreciate insights from those involved in other aspects of the peri-urban food system, including local governments, producers and planners."

Public hearings will take place before the inquiry report is tabled by the end of 2024.

The Upper House Legal and Social Issues Committee will also inquire into the impacts and drivers of, and solutions for, food security in Victoria.

It will look at the impact of food insecurity on physical and mental health, poverty and hardship, and options available to lower the cost of food and improve access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate products.

It will run in parallel with the lower house inquiry.

The Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee is looking at whether people have access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs.

University of Melbourne Food Systems senior lecturer, Rachel Carey, said the fact two inquiries were being undertaken indicated the seriousness and urgency of the problem and the need for an integrated state government approach.

"We need a minister for food and a new state food plan to ensure that all Victorians have access to enough healthy and sustainably produced food in the face of increasing shocks and stresses to our food supply," Dr Carey said.

"It has never been more important to protect farmland around Melbourne and other regional cities, because of increasing shocks to our food supply.

"We're experiencing more shocks to our food supply from climate change - floods, storms and fire.

"These shocks lead to rising food prices, so it makes sense to keep production of fresh foods close to our cities to act as a buffer to supply disruptions and rising food prices."

She said the government had already been through a major policy process to strengthen protection for farmland, around Melbourne, in Planning for Melbourne's green wedges and agricultural land.

"The public consultation finished in early 2021, but we haven't seen any significant new measures to strengthen protection for Melbourne's farmland," Dr Carey said.

"New measures are needed now."

The Foodprint Melbourne research team at the University of Melbourne was collaborating with policy makers and other stakeholders in the Victorian food resilience planning project to develop new approaches to making the state's food system more resilient to shocks and stresses, she said.

There is more information about the Victorian food resilience planning project here - https://science.unimelb.edu.au/foodprint-melbourne/about/our-research

For more information and to make a submission to the Upper House inquiry, go to the committee website.

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