THE Nationals have scrapped one of their "sacred cows" - support for the single desk for wheat exports.
In a shock move, the party's federal council yesterday effectively accepted defeat on the single desk and instead called for better grower protection under the new liberalised system.
A motion from the party's NSW branch calling for the return of the single desk was withdrawn in favour of a new motion moved by former Victorian Nationals MP Bill Baxter.
The new motion acknowledged the ”sterling endeavours'' of the party's federal MPs to save the single desk, but accepted that it had been abolished.
The party should now push for legal protection for growers who collectively organised to sell their wheat, and for tougher prudential and wheat quality requirements applied to accredited exporters.
“We've got to accept reality,'' Mr Baxter said. “The single desk is gone and we won't get it back.''
He said it was important to make sure growers who wanted to run their own pool could do so without transgressing trade practices laws.
“Growers are also concerned about getting paid, so there should be more attention given to the financial strength of exporters.''
Nationals Mallee MP John Forrest backed the move.
“It's true that growers lament the loss of the single desk. It's true they want to urge its return. But you've got to be honest and realistic.''
He said it was important to address the impacts of the new export system.
“Growers need certainty on the prudential processes, and we've got make sure we protect our reputation as a high quality wheat exporter.
“The last thing we want is some hillbilly operator blending dodgy wheat varieties.''
Nationals leader Warren Truss said it was a “disappointing fact of life'' that the single desk was gone and would be hard to turn back, especially since a lot of investments had been made under the new system.
Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce said the new position acknowledged the practical difficulties in re-establishing a single desk, but the Nationals had not completely closed the door.
“We've had to acknowledge that trying to get Humpty Dumpty back together again is going to incredibly hard,'' he said.
“We are dealing with the reality of where we are at the moment. Obviously in our hearts we still want the single desk, but the agenda has moved on beyond us unfortunately.
But Senator Joyce said the Nationals would maintain an “open agenda'' on the issue.
“If a proposition is put to us on how the single desk can be put back together again, we'd certainly entertain it.''
He said the new position looked to protect collective marketing of wheat ``and that's what the single desk does''.
