Tony Burke rejects farmers’ claims that immigration changes will increase food prices

The farming lobby says supermarkets could run out of food due to a lack of workers to pick produce. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

The farming lobby’s claim that immigration rule changes will increase food prices for households is wrong, Tony Burke has said, describing moves to speed up processing of backpacker visas as a positive step for agriculture.

Burke revealed Labor’s long-awaited reforms at the National Press Club on Thursday, flagging that the plan was more limited than the government would like, due to a lack of support for wider legislation from the Coalition.