The Agriculture Minister has moved to allay fears the coronavirus could disrupt Australia's food supply, saying it is one of the most food-secure nations in the world.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has moved to allay fears the coronavirus could disrupt Australia's food supply, saying it is one of the most food-secure nations in the world.
Stockpiling by consumers during the coronavirus outbreak had temporarily overwhelmed supply chains but that was "not an indication of food shortages", he said in a statement.
Richard Heath, the executive director of agriculture think tank the Australian Farm Institute, said Australia ranked 12 out of 113 countries on the Global Food Security Index, faced no prospect of food shortage and the "calories we are producing are many, many more times what we need to survive".He said public debate had been "mixed up a bit" over the distinction between food sovereignty and security.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Australia's food supply secure amid coronavirus, research findsThe federal government's agriculture forecaster says it is unlikely coronavirus will disrupt food supply chains in Australia.
Read more »
More than 600,000 face masks withdrawn from SA hospitals over coronavirus concernSA Health says the masks do not fully protect against fluid strikes and could put frontline health staff at risk of catching coronavirus.
Read more »
Virus cases could be more than 20,000Australia’s chief medical officer says he can’t be “absolutely sure” official coronavirus case numbers are accurate but it’s “unlikely” that authorities have significantly underestimated infections.
Read more »
'It's not too much to ask': Dutton demands answers from ChinaThe United States government is looking into the possibility COVID-19 spread from a Chinese laboratory rather than a market. 9News
Read more »
Australian way of live ‘won’t be there’ if small businesses do not survive pandemic | Sky News AustraliaSmall Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell says Australia’s way of life is at risk if small businesses are unable survive the coronavirus pandemic. \n\n“If a big percentage of Australian small businesses didn’t reopen, then the sort of life we had prior to coronavirus, with cafes and bars, shops and service operations, all of the businesses that gave us the quality of life we enjoy, won’t be there,” she said. \n\nIf a large percentage of Australian businesses were not in a financial position to reopen, Ms Carnell said “that would take a very long time for our economy to get over”. \n\nThe Small Business Ombudsman said Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the national cabinet had a “big challenge” ahead of them “to get the balance right”. \n\n“It’s really important that small businesses are allowed to open as soon as possible and as soon as is safe,” she said. \n\n“But the worse thing that could happen is for a small business to be able to reopen, restock, get operating and then to have to close again. \n\n“That would be devastating, so they certainly don’t want that to happen.” \n\nMs Carnell said businesses needed to adopt social distancing rules because “they are not going to go away in the foreseeable future”. \n\n“Not probably until we have a vaccine or a treatment, so we’re going to have the change the way we operate,” she said.
Read more »
Coronavirus updates LIVE: Scott Morrison says Australia's COVID-19 restrictions to remain in place for at least four weeks, nation's death toll stands at 63The UK will remain in lockdown for at least another three weeks, with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab saying 'we're now at both a delicate and dangerous stage in this pandemic'. Follow our live coverage here:
Read more »