2 June 2020 Prime Minister PO Box 6022 House of Representatives Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600

CC: Karen Andrews, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Dale Seymore, Anti-Dumping Commissioner

Via email: [email protected]

Dear Prime Minister,

Dumping of European Potatoes Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) represents over 70,000 workers who create, make and maintain in every city and region across . Our members in the food industry have been working hard to keep our supermarket shelves stocked with the foods that Australian families know, need and trust during the Covid-19 crisis.

I am writing to you to raise our concerns about the potential impact of dumped potatoes on our members jobs. You are no doubt aware of reports that European producers have an excess of 2.6 million tonnes of potatoes due to the impact of Covid-19. Combined with $1billion in additional subsidies from the European Union the AMWU and its members are very concerned that our supermarket shelves will be flooded by subsidised, imported processed potatoes being sold at below their cost of production.

Australian growers and producers have been faced with their own drop in demand for processed potatoes due to Covid-19. We are very worried that these dumped potatoes will compound the impact on our local industry, as these local growers and processors will not be able to these dumped imports when the demand for processed potatoes picks up as the restrictions are lifted. This may lead to serious long-term effects on this important part of our food processing industry.

As a member of the International Trade Remedies Forum, the AMWU has long taken an interest in the impact that dumping can have on our domestic manufacturing industry. Given the significant impact that Covid-19 has already had on our industry, it is vital that the government, though the Commission and whatever other means may be necessary, protect our domestic manufacturers from further harm caused by dumping.

It is vital that the Commission have the resources and authority to act quickly and prevent irreversible harm being done as other nations seek to protect their own economies at the expense of ours. Thousands of local manufacturing jobs, not to mention the livelihoods of the farmers who provide the fresh produce, are at stake if we do not act fast enough.

If you would like any additional information, please contact Warren Tegg in the first instance.

Regards,

Paul Bastian AMWU NATIONAL SECRETARY