A group has been set up to bring together the agriculture sector, unions and government in a bid to tackle the labour shortage crisis, but some farmers are critical saying it's just "kicking the can down the road".
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt announced the establishment of the partnership on Friday, which will begin progressing some of the agreements to come out of the jobs and skills summit to ensure the sector gets its "fair share".
Senator Watt said the working group will meet monthly over the next year to discuss the sector's challenges, but stressed work is already underway to address agriculture's labour shortage.
"(This will) make sure that farmers can get the workers that they need and to make sure that agriculture workers are protected and respected in their work."
Minister Watt said the bringing together of groups traditionally considered adversaries had produced "fantastic outcomes".
"We know there are some issues that there's not currently agreement and there may never be agreement, but jeez, there's a lot that we do agree."
But farmers say the announcement doesn't provide any immediate solutions.
Mixed grain and sheep farmer Justin Everitt from Brocklesby in southern NSW is starting to reduce his flock by three quarters because he can't get enough workers.
He's also been unable to lock in enough workers for harvest which starts in November.
"Just feels like kicking the can down the road. 'We'll set up a group and we'll talk about it'," Mr Everitt said.
"If something comes up then that's fantastic, but I won't hold my breath," he told AAP.
Mr Everitt said he and other farmers are burnt out after not being able to find workers since COVID hit.
NSW Farmers workplace relations committee chair Chris Stillard says uncertainty around worker shortages looks set to continue.
"We're sick of the talk, we want to see action. This is our third year we're going into a worker shortage and people are starting to trim their business because of it."
National Farmers' Federation president Fiona Simson praised the government for the collaborative approach, but said an additional 9000 regional places included in the lifting of the permanent skilled migration cap wouldn't meet the needs of the sector.
"It's not (enough), but we need to keep focusing on the outcomes," she said.
It was important for agriculture to be an industry of choice for workers, she added.
Ms Simson said it wasn't often her sector got together with the unions.
"We have way more in common than we thought, and how much better for us to be standing here together," she said.
"It's supporting an industry that we all feel so strongly about, rather than sledging each other from the other side of the microphone."
Ms Simson said the sector had "waited for a number of years" for the agriculture visa, which Labor had scrapped.
In response to comments made by Nationals leader David Littleproud where he labelled the NFF "cowards" over not calling out the government for scrapping the agriculture visa, Ms Simson said they were "incredibly disappointing".
"It's not the collaborative bipartisan nature that we need when we're resolving some of these issues," she said.
