Parkes MP Mark Coulton pleased by Australian Agriculture Visa agreement with Vietnam

Even the region's largest employer, Fletchers International Exports, has an outstanding 200 occupations to fill to meet global meat supply.

But last week's signing of the Australian Agriculture Visa agreement with Vietnam is a "positive step in a program that would bring transformational change" to the region's primary industry employers crying out for workers, Parkes MP Mark Coulton said.

"This is banner day for the agriculture industry in the Parkes electorate which has long struggled with workforce shortages particularly over the past few years," Mr Coulton said.

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The workers from Vietnam will backfill occupations in primary industries such as primary products processing, horticulture, dairy, wool, grains, fisheries and forestry.

At Fletchers in Dubbo, processor and exporter of Australian lamb and sheep meats, its recent list of jobs advertised online and with local employment agencies include abattoir labourers of all skill levels in slaughtering, boning and butchering.

They also need qualified electrician, turner and fitter machinist and plumbers to work in its meat processing facilities in Dubbo but across its business operations it processes an estimated 90,000 lambs and sheep each week with its 1,200 workforce in Dubbo and at Albany, Western Australia. Fletchers exports to 90 countries chilled lamb, frozen mutton as well as byproducts such as sausage casings, tallow and sheepskins.

Agriculture minister David Littleproud said the agreement was signed with Vietnam on March 28, and its the first country in the Indo-Pacific to respond to Australia's call out for workers in primary industries that domestic labour supply has not been able to meet.

"Australian farmers need certainty around their workforce, certainty that this visa [agreement] secured by the Nationals provides," Mr Littleproud said.

The first cohort of workers under this new agreement are arriving as soon as possible.

"We already have a relationship with Vietnam I look forward to seeing more workers," Mr Coulton said.

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