Agriculture

Farmers, fishers and foresters can visit Co-operative Farming for information and resources to support them in setting up or growing a co-operative.

Co-operatives of farms and fishing producers …

  • Help to maintain the domestic ownership of strategic food assets, thus increasing food security for Australians
  • Help to generate significant export earnings
  • Facilitate independent Australian farmers to compete by providing access to markets
  • Facilitate economies of scale by enabling individual businesses to jointly own and control their supply chain
  • Enable smaller farmers and fishermen to stay in business and remain independent
  • Maintain a traditional way of life whilst providing economic growth to strengthen Australia’s regions
  • Employ locally
  • Spread wealth back to farmers through produce rebates and profit sharing

Help to maintain the domestic ownership of strategic food assets, thus increasing food security for Australians

Australian co-operatives are domestically owned, unlike their listed competitors which may be bought by overseas investors. Co-operative ownership ensures that the production of strategic food assets remain in the control of Australians.

Help to generate significant export earnings

Agriculture and fishery co-operatives are net exporters, making a positive contribution to Australia’s balance of trade.

Facilitate independent Australian farmers to compete by providing access to markets

Agricultural co-operatives are groups of independent small businesses, who are working together to provide logistics, marketing and infrastructure in order to access markets in ways that they cannot alone.

Facilitate economies of scale by enabling individual businesses to jointly own and control their supply chain

Family owned farms invest in road, rail and sea transportation operated through their co-operative, to ensure that their produce gets to market in as cost effective a way as possible.

Enable smaller farmers and fishermen to stay in business and remain independent

When independent businesses co-operate in this way, they can meet global competition from large corporates head on.

Maintain a traditional way of life whilst providing economic growth to strengthen Australia’s regions

Individual farm businesses all contribute to their regional way of life, maintaining business presence and contributing taxes through the success they generate from their co-operative membership.

Employ locally

Individual farms employ locally, for both seasonal and long-term work. This is important in rural and regional areas where jobs are scarce.

Spread wealth back to farmers through produce rebates and profit sharing

Co-operatives are not set up to maximise profits – instead they share wealth equitably among their farmer members in proportion to their contribution to the co-op.

Agricultural examples

Almondco Australia Ltd logo

Almondco Australia Ltd

Almondco Australia supplies premium quality almond products to the world. It processes and markets the crops of more than 80 per cent of Australia’s almond growers. Almondco is grower-owned and operated and produces more than 100 different almonds varieties.
Established Year: 1944
Industry: Agriculture
Ballina Fishermens Co-operative logo

Ballina Fishermens Co-operative

Owned by 26 independent fishers, the co-op exists to get the best possible seafood price for members.
Industry: Agriculture
CCW Co-operative Limited

CCW Co-operative Limited

CCW has over 500 member grape-growers supplying around 200,000 tonnes of wine grapes annually.
Established Year: 1922
Industry: Agriculture
Clarence River Fishermens Co-operative logo

Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-operative

With over 130 members the co-op directly contributes to the livelihoods of hundreds of local families.
Established Year: 1945
Industry: Agriculture

Co-operative Bulk Handling

Australia’s biggest co-op, entrusted to store, handle and transport 85 percent of WA’s annual grain harvest. CBH in partnership with WA grain growers is the backbone of the State’s rural economy. Owned and controlled by approx. 4,200 WA grain growing businesses, CBH’s core purpose is to sustainably create and return value to growers.
Established Year: 1933
Industry: Agriculture
Cooperatives Alliance Logo

Cooperatives Alliance

Representing the interests of co-operatives in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
Type: Industry peak
Eyre Peninsula Co-operative Bulk Handling logo

Eyre Peninsula Co-operative Bulk Handling (EPCBH)

Primary producer co-operative on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia with members from farm business and families across the region.
Established Year: 2017
Industry: Agriculture
Geraldton Fishermans Co-operative Logo

Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative Ltd

Geraldton Fishermen’s Co‑operative supplies premium-quality Western Rock Lobster to customers across the globe. GFC’s members, fishing along a thousand kilometres of WA coastline, take pride in their Brolos brand, motivating them to catch and produce the world’s best rock lobster product.
Established Year: 1950
Industry: Agriculture
Harvey Water Logo

Harvey Water

Delivers non-potable water to members and customer base, located in the premium south west growing districts, 100km south of Perth.
Established Year: 1999
Limestone Coast Fishermens Co-operative logo

Limestone Coast Fishermen’s Co-operative

Processor and marketer of Southern Rock Lobster supplied by its member fishing businesses.
Established Year: 2018
Industry: Agriculture
Lockyer Fruit and Veggie Cooperative logo

Lockyer Fruit and Veggie Cooperative

Supports Australian fruit and vegetable producers improve their growing harvesting and production.
Established Year: 2022
Industry: Agriculture
Marquis Macadamias Logo

Marquis Macadamias Ltd

Marquis Macadamias is owned by over 180 Australian macadamia growers across NSW and QLD. It is the largest and most successful macadamia processor in the world with processing plants in Bundaberg Queensland and Lismore in Northern NSW, together capable of processing 35,000 tonnes of macadamias each year.
Established Year: 1983
Industry: Agriculture
Mountain Milk Co-operative Limited

Mountain Milk Co-operative Limited

Mountain Milk Co-operative has created a route to market for dairy farmers in North East Victoria, and handles over 23ML of premium quality local milk.
Established Year: 2018
Industry: Agriculture
Norco

Norco Co-operative

Australia’s largest 100% farmer-owned dairy co-op, owned by its member suppliers who operate Australian dairy farms. Norco recognises the value that its co-operative structure brings to all of its members and its communities. Doing business since 1895, Norco is proud of its heritage and passionate about its future.
Established Year: 1895
Industry: Agriculture
Northern Australia Aboriginal Kakadu Plum Alliance

Northern Australia Aboriginal Kakadu Plum Alliance

NAAKPA is an alliance of Aboriginal-owned companies supplying Kakadu Plum fruit and extracts for the Australian market.
Established Year: 2018
Oz Group Co-op logo

Oz Group Co-op

Oz Group Co-op is a 100% farmer owned co-operative located on the Coffs Coast. Oz Group produce high quality blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
Established Year: 2013
Industry: Agriculture
Regen Farmers Mutual logo

Regen Farmers Mutual

Farmer owned business helping its members to understand, manage and capture the value of their environmental assets.
Established Year: 2021
Industry: Agriculture
TAFCO Rural Supplies

TAFCO Rural Supplies

Connects with its community through its rural merchandise store and providing goods and services.
Established Year: 1987
Tamara Cooperative Logo

Tamara Cooperative

Tamara Co-operative wholly owns the Desert Fruit Company, a date farm 70km south of Alice Springs. Members of the co-operative are eligible to work for DFC.
Established Year: 2013
Industry: Agriculture
The Casino Food Coop, formerly The Northern Co-operative Meat Company Ltd

The Casino Food Co-op

The Casino Food Co-op, formerly The Northern Co-operative Meat Company Ltd, is Australia’s largest meat processing co-operative. Its members are Australian farmers and businesses excelling in the paddock-to-plate philosophy.
Established Year: 1933
Industry: Agriculture
Yenda Producers Logo

Yenda Producers Co-operative Society Ltd

The Yenda Producers Co–operative provides its farmer members with comprehensive farming products, services and farming advice from a team of highly trained and experienced agronomists and horticulturalists.
Established Year: 1925

75 Years Of The Apollo Bay Fishermen's Cooperative

Agriculture submissions

National Reconstruction Fund Corporation Bill 2022

The members of the BCCM are active across many of the proposed priority areas for the NRF including agriculture and fisheries, advanced manufacturing and circular economy, renewable energy, transport...
Jurisdiction: Commonwealth
Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Economics
Submission Date: 10 Feb 2023

National Reconstruction Fund Consultation Paper

How the NRF can be designed to be inclusive of investment in co-ops and mutuals and provide context on the broader policy barriers and opportunities in relation to such investment.
Jurisdiction: Commonwealth
Committee: Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Submission Date: 03 Feb 2023

Long term sustainability of the NSW dairy industry

Co-operatives are essential to the long-term sustainability of dairying.
Jurisdiction: New South Wales
Committee: Portfolio Committee No. 4
Submission Date: 13 Oct 2020