6 January 2026. Shane McCarthy, AgForce General President.
Australia has long been confident in its ability to feed our population and even beyond our borders. Yet recent pressures have exposed how fragile that assurance about food security can be.
The concept of a `hungry Australia’ is not a claim that the nation faces imminent scarcity; but rather it highlights the risks inherent in assuming that our current abundance will continue without deliberate planning and investment. Queensland is central to this national discussion.
This state's cattle, grains, sugar, fruit, and vegetable industries underpin food supply well beyond our borders.
Queensland producers operate in demanding climatic conditions and yet consistently deliver remarkable output.
But rising input costs, global uncertainty, and increasingly severe weather events on top of the burden of increased government red and green tape have revealed weaknesses that need urgent attention. These must be addressed to combat the increasingly loud minority voice which continues to change the playing field we are forced upon.
The contrast with neighbours within our region illustrates what hunger truly looks like. Indonesia has fewer than 20 million cattle and a population of around 220 million people.
Australia, by comparison, has 30 million people and roughly 35 million cattle. We don't know hunger - yet.
Our capacity to produce food for around 75 million people has insulated us from the pressures faced elsewhere.
But population projections paint a more complex future: Australia is expected to reach 40 million people in coming decades, while the global population is forecast to rise to 10 billion by 2050.
A world with more people, more geopolitical tension, and more environmental volatility will place exceptional pressure on our food systems.
Food security cannot be measured solely by what leaves the farm gate.
It depends on resilient supply chains, a capable workforce, efficient transport, and stable policy settings. Queensland's vast distances make reliability of freight, fuel, and energy particularly critical.
Producers continue to innovate - whether through advanced genetics, improved water management, or digital technologies. But they cannot shoulder the burden alone.
Long-term water infrastructure, land-use certainty, and a strengthened national biosecurity strategy are essential building blocks for our industry to thrive.
Food security is not merely a domestic matter. Global peace and stability depend, in part, on Australia's ability to keep on supplying reliable, high-quality food to its neighbours.
This is not charity on our part; it is a strategic obligation. A stable region requires stable food supply, and a few nations cannot shoulder this responsibility alone.
A hungry Australia is avoidable, but only if we recognise that food security is a national priority. Queensland agriculture will shape the outcome, provided it receives the long-term planning and investment it deserves.
Because remember - Every Family Needs a Farmer.