Farmers, banks, farm advisors, consultants and other grain growing stakeholders were left inspired after yesterday’s Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) Workshop, hosted by WAFarmers and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
The event, held at the South of Perth Yacht Club, saw presentations from John Thompson of Hall Chadwick, Tammin farmer and WAFarmers Vice President Tony York and Peter Burtenshaw from Australian Reliance, all of whom discussed the benefits of MPCI, how it differed from other available policies and the benefits as a tool in a farmers “risk” tool box.
WAFarmers Chief Executive Officer Stephen Brown said the event, which was attended by more than 80 people, gave attendees invaluable insight into how MPCI could benefit and work towards de-risking farming business for them or their clients.
“The definition of risk has changed considerably over the last three decades,” he said.
“Western Australian weather can be incredibly varied and severe, and as global warming continues to impact the climate in our state, the importance of having insurance against weather events cannot be overstated.
“Over the last two years, WAFarmers has spent considerable time and money attending industry events and seminars on MPCI as we believe this product, when fully matured and developed, has the potential to be the next big thing in agriculture, de-risking the operations of many farmers in highly volatile rainfall areas.”
Mr Brown said MPCI could also be extended to cover a variety of other crops for the both the fruit and vegetable industries, with a recent case being the significant damage to fruit and potato crops in and around Manjimup as a result of recent heavy rain and resultant flooding.
WAFarmers members and anyone else involved in grain growing in Western Australia are encouraged to contact Peter Burtenshaw at Australian Reliance on (08) 9382 7822 for further details on MPCI.
ENDS.
All media requests must be directed to WAFarmers Media and Communications Officer Melanie Dunn on (08) 9486 2100 or [email protected].
