Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has condemned the state government for abandoning Victorian farmers through sweeping budget cuts, job losses, and new taxes.

A recent Victorian Farmers Federation survey revealed that nine in ten farmers no longer trust the government.

“Despite promising no cuts to frontline services, Labor has sacked more than 200 Agriculture Victoria staff in just three years,” Ms Cleeland said.

“At the same time, they’ve gutted the Agriculture Victoria budget from $614.8 million in 2024–25 to just $537.2 million in 2025–26.

“This is a blatant disregard for the 21,300 farm businesses across Victoria that are the backbone of our regional communities, producing over $14 billion in agricultural goods and driving 27 per cent of Australia’s total food and fibre exports.”

Among the hardest hit by Labor’s cuts are frontline scientists and specialists in agronomy, genetics, hydrogeology, and crop research, with the entire Plant Production Sciences Branch being dissolved.

The cuts also come at a time when Victoria’s property inspections for invasive pests and weeds have already plummeted, falling from nearly 5,000 a decade ago to just 1,440 this year.

Ms Cleeland said the government’s latest tax grab will only add to the pain.

“Adding insult to injury, Labor’s new emergency services tax will see farmers hit with rate rises of up to 150 per cent next year,” Ms Cleeland said.

“At a time of soaring input costs, drought, and economic uncertainty, farmers are being punished again for Labor’s failings.

“Labor is stripping away the expertise and resources that protect our food supply, while pouring billions into city projects with regional Victorians paying the price.”