SA Farmers Federation President Mr Peter White told the committee inquiring into farm machinery that farmers who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on machinery and equipment enjoy less protection than person who buys a fridge.

“There is no consumer protection, yet you are paying a lot more than the risk you would take if it was a fridge or whatever,” Mr White said.

Mr White was providing a briefing to the SA Parliament Economics and Finance committee that has established an inquiry into farm machinery.

The establishment of the enquiry was recommended by SA Labor MP Tony Piccolo, the Member for Light.

The inquiry has the support of the SA Farmers Federation.

Mr Piccolo said the evidence he heard on the first day of hearings was consistent with concerns expressed by farmers in his electorate.

Mr White told the committee that governments need to seriously look at the consumer protection laws when it comes to businesses and farming and the cost of this machinery.

“If there were some of those in place, that would, I guess, help fill in the gap in terms of what the machinery companies themselves offer.”

Mr White said existing Trade Practices laws were inadequate as “These companies (machinery manufacturers) are absolutely enormous.”

Mr White advised the committee that the SA Farmers Federation are looking for some support for setting up a mediation service because it would help resolve a lot of the issues early in the piece “before all the ill feeling and the lawyers start making money out of it and all the rest”.

Mr Piccolo suggested to the committee that it should investigate the provision of mediation service that had legislative backing.

Mr Piccolo said a statutory scheme could still be run by the industry players but a legislative framework would give it more credibility.

Written submissions to the inquiry close this Friday, October 30.