Tasmanian Farmers Struggle with Sky-High Freight Costs

0:00It's April 2nd. You're listening to Sydney News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Corey with the story. Tasmanian farmers are staring down sky-high freight costs from fuel spikes, pushing some to skip harvesting broccoli and cauliflower altogether. Sea carriers across past straight are jacking up prices, hitting veggie growers and livestock haulers hard. Tasmania ships out over $6 billion in goods yearly, and right now, that extra burden is crushing producers. Major player Harvest Moon, which supplies 90,000 tons of veggies nationwide and overseas, says their crops look perfect, but might get left. In the fields, livestock ops on King and Flinders Island face the same squeeze, with peak autumn lamb shipments to Victoria processors, costing way more to move. Growers like Mark Cable from Harvest Moon are frustrated, noting they can haggle with supermarkets but not the wholesale market. Hip-stock carrier Page Transport is burning through 25,000 liters of fuel weekly, adding

1:01over $150,000 to. Their tab, farmers end up footing most of these bills. Freight surcharges are now tweaking weekly instead of monthly, to match fuel swings, rippling into fertilizers, and packaging too. Experts call it dire for trade, with Tasmania at the end of supply chains already burdened by bad straight crossings. The Tasmanian freight equalization scheme is under review again, hope to index against shocks like this. Produces are negotiating daily with shippers, but until cost stabilize, expect tighter supplies, and higher prices down the line.