LAWD executive chairman John McKillop has begun the panel by arguing that most of the resistance to foreign investments in Australian farms is an “irrational fear.”

“The reality is we produce enough food for 60 million people and we have 20 million people,” he said.

“Agriculture has a very strong history of foreign investment coming in, doing a lot of good for the industry and going when the investment horizon changes…. the cotton industry today wouldn’t be where it was today without the Boswell’s.”

“There’s been a lot of good that has come out of it… I’m yet to find an example where foreign investment has been bad for Australian agriculture.”

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