Tony Mahar, National Farmers’ Federation Chief Executive Officer, joins Michael on the issues Aussie farmers currently face not only over the shortage of pickers, but having been hit with heavy rain and monumental hail storms on the cusp of the first harvest after three years of drought.

Hail has destroyed crops in NSW’s Central West as heavy rainfall has left paddocks soaking making harvesting near impossible for many and delayed for others.

The National Farmers Federation have sent an appeal to about 30 federal politicians, arguing backpackers should be permitted to enter Australia under a COVID-safe plan to work as harvest labourers after the number of backpackers halved since international borders closed to prevent the spread of the virus.

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