Minister for Agriculture and Food Alannah MacTiernan and Murray-Wellington MLA Robyn Clarke visit Harvey Hemp

Minister for Agriculture and Food Alannah MacTiernan made a visit to Harvey Hemp on Friday alongside Murray-Wellington MLA Robyn Clarke as the company tries to raise awareness about the State’s first commercial, food-grade hemp seed oil processing plant. Ms MacTiernan said it had been an “eye-opener” to discover hemp oil which claimed to be WA-made was actually processed elsewhere — either in the eastern states or overseas. She said she was pleased with what she saw during her visit to the Harvey site. “The development of a facility like this and the production of a high-quality product is going to be very much an important part of the journey,” she said. “It is going to encourage more farmers in the area to seriously look at this. “We’re looking at ways to assist in those other areas to make this a really viable industry.” Harvey Hemp co-owner Greg LeGuier said it was now about spreading the word about what the organisation can do for the hemp industry in the State. “We want to create awareness that we have a processing facility,” he said. “While we are growing a crop here in Harvey, we have plenty of capacity to take other farmers who will want to grow for us, and we will enter into contracts with them.” Ms Clarke said having the facility in the area would bring many benefits to farmers, local businesses and consumers in Harvey and around the State. “Harvey has a diverse economy, and to see something like Harvey Hemp here shows that,” she said. “I would suspect there are a lot of farmers out there that want to diversify their farming. “Because there is no other oil-producing company here in WA, I think it is really important that other hemp growers get to see it is available.” Ms MacTiernan said hemp was “playing catch up” on products like wheat, barley and canola, but was still a viable industry. “For many years we haven’t had serious agronomy on industrial hemp,” she said. “As a government, we have tried reversing that but we have to accept to get farmers to grow hemp we’re competing with wheat, barley and canola. “They are products that have had huge investment, so he’s coming from behind that because until recently that work hasn’t been done.” Mr LeGuier said having a hemp seed oil processing plant would be an advantage for farmers. “Previously these farmers have had no sort of avenue to take the seed once they have grown it, and that has been the limiting factor,” he said. “We see this as a distinct advantage for farmers.”