What do the government value, food or a holiday?
That's the question Bowen Gumlu Growers Association president Carl Walker wants answered after the government changed to working holiday maker (WHM) visa to include tourism and hospitality sectors in northern, remote communities.
Mr Walker has felt the full impact of the COVID inflicted labour shortage and is still not sure where he will get the required workers to pick his winter tomato and cucumber crop.
And now he says the federal government's changes to WHM visa have completely "blindsided" farmers and making a bad situation even worse.
"We're struggling big time just to keep our numbers up," Mr Walker said.
"Farmers are use to being under the pump but this is just crazy, we're not going to get everything picked because I cannot get enough people to pick them."
Mr Walker said the "paradise" that north Australia offers is the thing that brought backpackers to farms, and now it will be the thing that takes them away.
"This is not easy work, of course backpackers are going to want to go work at a bar in Cairns or the Whitsundays instead of working on a farm."
"The Immigration Minister has put priority on people drinking lattes on the beach instead of feeding the country.
The federal government has said it worked with agricultural sector - along with the tourism and hospitality sectors - before making the decision.
Mr Walker said there was no consultation with as far as he is aware.
"There was no consultation with any of the major farming groups and there was no consultation with us [Bowen Gumlu Growers Association]," he said.
"It doesn't seem like these people want to win the next election."
"At the start of the pandemic the government forced thousands of backpackers to leave, we lost thousands of workers, and then they made it harder for us to get the pacific island work force over here as well.
Mr Walker said that he understands that the tourism industry is suffering and would accept changes to the WHM visa, but said farmers needed to be better consulted before the changes were made.
"I would always be happy to share workers, I would have like to see a split, 44 days in each sector."
"The way it's set up now is that we lose out, and that threatens Australia's precious food supply."
