National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) president Hamish McIntyre said many farmers across the country were still facing difficulties getting fuel onto farms, and transport businesses tasked with moving goods to cities and ports were struggling to absorb rising costs.<\/p>\n
That is despite the federal government taking actions including tapping into its emergency fuel supplies<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We estimate in a matter of weeks we’ll start to see the costs flow through to the consumers on supermarket shelves,” Mr McIntyre said.<\/p>\n The NFF president, who runs a mixed-farming business in Queensland, anticipated shoppers would see the cost of dairy go up first.<\/p>\n “It starts with dairy, then our fruit and veg, and in any of our intensive animal industries too,” he said.<\/p>\n While the NFF is yet to land on what specific measures it would like the government to take to help affected farmers, Mr McIntyre has urged Australians to work together and not panic-buy diesel.<\/p>\n “Diesel drives food production across Australia, so it’s around the diesel space that we really need to make sure that is available for our essential services, number one, but then our farmers and food producers after that,” he said.<\/p>\n Transport bodies sound alarm<\/p>\n The NFF’s prediction of an imminent food price hike in the supermarkets has been echoed by the National Road Transport Association.<\/p>\n Chief executive Warren Clark said the nation was heading in the direction of a “broken freight supply chain”.<\/p>\n “Come the 21st of April [2026] when a lot of the fuel bills start to come in, and the fuel price will have increased steadily to then, we’re going to see some major changes in this freight industry,” he told ABC’s Radio National.<\/p>\n
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