July 26, 2013
Shepparton’s fight to save its local processing company – these days known as SPC Ardmona – is coming to Kingaroy next week.
Recently fruit growers that supply to the Victorian cannery have been forced to pull out and burn orchards … and they’re blaming cheap imports.
Growers and SPC Ardmona employees have banded together to launch a campaign to “Save SPCA Australian Made and Grown” and are urging shoppers to “Toss A Tin In Your Trolley”.
They are agitating for the Federal Government to take urgent action to protect the local fruit industry and are distributing petitions for people to sign.
But why is Kingaroy the first push by the campaign into Queensland?
Organiser – and SPC worker – Lee Luvara explained it was navy beans.
“SPC baked beans are 100 per cent Australian beans and Kingaroy is the navy bean capital of Australia,” he said.
Lee, who will also be standing for Katter’s Australian Party at the next election for the Victorian seat of Indi, said Kingaroy and Shepparton had a lot in common and it was in the interests of both towns that SPC remained strong and healthy.
Lee has organised a “100% All-Aussie Breakfast” which will be held in the Glendon Street forecourt from 9:30am to 11:30am next Thursday (August 1) .
There’ll be SPC baked beans and spaghetti served up. The message to “Toss A Tin In Your Trolley” will be reinforced and petitions distributed for local residents to sign.
Katter’s Australian Party reps will also be on hand, including Bob Katter, singer and Senate candidate James Blundell and Carl Rackemann.
Mr Luvara said SPC Ardmona’s sales have dropped so dramatically because of cheap imports that the processor now cannot buy all the fruit produced in the Goulburn Valley.
“Growers are destroying their current crop of trees to make sure that pests and rot don’t set in,” he said.
“How much longer can SPCA compete against import dumping by some countries or second class quality and safety standards that keep costs down and make for an unlevel field of competition in the world of free trade?
“Gillard was from our neck of the woods, and yet she ignored our plea for emergency short term 200-day protections she could have evoked for our industry.
“She chose to let our growers rip and burn their livelihoods and my fellow workmates go without livelihoods here in the Goulburn Valley.”
