February 24, 2016
Australian Farm Institute executive director Mick Keogh has been appointed the inaugural Agricultural Commissioner at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The appointment to lead the ACCC’s Agriculture Enforcement and Engagement Unit was announced on Wednesday morning by Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce.
Mr Joyce said the appointment fulfilled a promise in the government’s Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper.
“What this does it shows our belief in making sure that people are treated fairly,” Mr Joyce said.
“Right from my start in politics, it’s always been the issue that the smaller farmer, the person who feels that he has the numbers against him and the weight against him, wants to be treated fairly.
“Over and over again these issues are brought forward, have been brought forward to me as a Senator, brought forward to me also as a Minister, and now, we have the capacity to assist in their resolution.
“Mr Mick Keogh is a person who’s had a lot of experience with the NSW farmers, also in the (Australian) Farm Institute.
“He’s well respected in the industry, he is a cattle producer himself so he has a very good understanding of the corporate knowledge required, as well as a very good understanding of the complexities in some of these policy spaces.”
Mr Joyce said Mr Keogh had “deep knowledge” of how the industry actually works and would be able to identify anti-competitive, anti-market issues and inherent unfairness in deals.
Mr Keogh was raised on a farm in southern NSW and for many years worked as an agribusiness consultant and researcher.
He obtained a Bachelors degree in Wool and Pastoral Science at the University of NSW in 1980 and completed a Masters degree in 1984.
In 1992, he joined the NSW Farmers’ Association. As General Manager of Policy, he worked on issues affecting farmers at State and federal levels.
In 2003, he was appointed Executive Director of the Australian Farm Institute.
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation congratulated Mr Keogh on his appointment but warned he would need to address the self-regulated supermarket “Code Of Conduct”.
QFF CEO Ruth Wade said she looked forward to working with Mr Keogh in identifying and dealing with competition and fair trading issues.
“He has a long history of researching and analysing issues relating to Australian agriculture and he has a deep understanding of the issues that impact on farmers’ returns and the impediments to improving those returns,” she said.
“Since the establishment of the Agriculture Enforcement and Engagement Unit we have seen an increased interest from the ACCC in listening directly to people within industry who better understand the unique challenges they face around competition and consumer relations.
“The ACCC Agriculture Enforcement and Engagement Unit visited QFF late last year to listen to each of our industry members outlining issues facing farmers and primary producers.
“It was made expressly clear from our industry members that the ACCC and the new Agriculture Commissioner will need to address the failure of the toothless self-regulated supermarket industry ‘Code of Conduct’.”
