W. Australian potato industry to be deregulated by year-end

Seventy years after a bill was introduced regulating Western Australia’s potato industry, new legislation has been introduced in State Parliament to abolish the regulating Act and the Potato Marketing Corporation (PMC). News site abc.net.au reports that Agriculture Minister Dean Nalder said the change, which follows a campaign by growers including Spud Shed founder Tony Galati, would benefit both consumers and producers. “Deregulating the potato industry will provide growers with greater choice and flexibility to pursue a range of markets and value-adding opportunities,” he said. “Consumers will benefit from a greater choice of potatoes and lower prices in the market place.” More