The Emissions Trading Scheme and the increased costs that come with it is worrying horticulturalists.
Vegetable growers, already squeezed by supermarkets who, the growers say, pay very little for the produce and charge the customer a greatly marked-up price at the checkout, will now face greater costs to growing and transporting their vegetables and fruits to the point of sale.
For the receivers of their goods, that's us, it can mean an increase in the price, which seems very likely.
It may mean though, that local growers fold up under the increased demands on their finances. If they can't afford to pay more for trucking their goods to market, for the electricity that powers their packing sheds and for any other incoming materials needed for their operation, they may abandon the growing game altogether.
These increases will affect glass and tunnel house growers the most, with their greater need for energy, in the form of electricity, coal and gas. The desired effect of an ETS is to change greenhouse gas using behaviour and it may well work in this field, but I wonder if basic food production like this is an area we want to force change, especially if the change means fewer local growers and more imported food from countries that don't have to carry the same obligation.
The solution for the consumer is, of course, to grow your own and it is readily apparent to me, as a supplier of vegetable seed, that demand is considerably higher this winter than ever before. People are preparing for the results of the ETS and other changes; the GST hike, a frozen wage state and so on.
Time to start thinking about a little independence from the supermarkets, despite the season.
