Full department analysis — March 2026
A comprehensive profile of DAFF covering trade performance, biosecurity threats, farmer sentiment, food security, forestry and fisheries crises, innovation opportunities, and the deepest trust deficit of any federal department.
Minister: Senator Julie Collins • Secretary: Andrew Metcalfe AO / Ray Griggs AO CSC (acting) • Staff: 6,977 ASL • Portfolio: ABARES, APVMA, AFMA, 15+ Research & Development Corporations
$3.7B
Portfolio Budget 2024-2539/100
Dept Sentiment6
Areas Tracked$101.4B
Gross Production$80.5B
Exports ForecastTrade
58/100
Innovation
48/100
Food Security
40/100
Biosecurity
35/100
Forestry/Fish
30/100
Farmers
22/100
DAFF faces the deepest trust deficit of any federal department. 80% of farmers say the government doesn't listen. 73% say policies are harming agriculture. Only 10% see a positive plan. The live sheep export ban, biosecurity levy debacle, water buybacks, and native logging closures have created a constituency that feels punished and culturally alienated. Record production and export values mask the reality that family farms bear the policy costs while margins are captured by processors and supermarkets.
“I’m a fourth-generation sheep farmer. My grandfather built this property with his bare hands. And some politician in Canberra who’s never held a sheep is telling me I can’t sell them. It’s not just economics — it’s our whole identity.”
“The biosecurity levy was an absolute betrayal. We’re already paying levies on everything — and now they want to charge us for keeping diseases out that THEY let through the border?”
“In my community, a head of lettuce costs $12 and milk is $8 a litre. We live in the food bowl of the world and our kids are going hungry.”
“Our town had 2,000 people when the mill was running. Now we’re down to 800 and dropping. The school might close next year.”
$3.7B
Portfolio Budget$101.4B
Gross Production$80.5B
Exports Forecast85,600
Farm Businesses73%
Policies Harming80%
Don’t Listen$400-600M
Biosecurity Gap3.7M
Food Insecure$24B
Forestry Sector$3.4B
Fisheries Value$774M
AgTech Market$5B
Drought FundFull Department Analysis & Innovation Roadmap
Get the complete DAFF department profile including detailed commitment tracking, innovation business cases, revenue modelling, AgTech strategy, stakeholder mapping, and regional impact assessment.
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