The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is calling on the Federal Government to urgently form a
taskforce to address potential AdBlue shortages, an essential anti-pollution chemical required to run
heavy vehicles and machinery.
AdBlue is used to reduce the level of nitrogen oxide emitted from a diesel motor and is common in
newer Euro Six-compliant heavy vehicles and some agricultural machinery manufactured after
2015.
Chair of the VFF’s Infrastructure and Transport Committee Ryan Milgate said the essential
ingredient played a key role in keeping Australia’s supply chains moving.
“Modern machinery and truck motors are designed to keep emissions within legal requirements.
Without sufficient AdBlue, some engines are programmed to stop working, rending them unable to
operate.”
“The agricultural supply chain is already under huge strain with truck driver shortages and global
supply chain disruptions, and we can’t afford to put the supply chain under any more pressure.”
“As farmers produce essential perishable goods, the supply of critical inputs like AdBlue is essential
to maintaining our food security,” Mr Milgate said.
Mr Milgate added the shortage is a stark reminder of Australia’s over-reliance on international
supplies.
“This needs to be a big wake-up call about the risks of relying on concentrated international supply
chains.”
“We need to increase our domestic manufacturing capacity to increase Australia’s resilience to
international supply chain shocks.”
“It’s critical the AdBlue supply chain including manufacturers, the fertiliser industry, transport
operators and government work together to address the shortages.”
“We’ll be asking the Federal Government to form an urgent taskforce to monitor this issue very
closely,” Mr Milgate said.