Under the changes, road and rail receival rates into port will be the same from bulk handling centres, with another rate for ex-farm grain, reflecting the increase of grain bought directly from the farm-gate which then is exported, rather than passing through the bulk system.

“The feedback from the exporters is that they want to accumulate direct from the farm, and they will be road freighting it to port,” GrainCorp corporate affairs manager David Ginns said.

He said the changes reflected the fact that there was more grain going by road, and that in Victoria, with its relatively small distances to travel, there was not as pronounced a discount to freighting grain by rail.

Another change has been to change the rates from various different storages.

Formerly, there were rates from GrainCorp storages, approved storages, such as rival bulk handlers like AWB GrainFlow or Australian Bulk Alliance sites and non-approved sites, which included ex-farm deliveries and other small accumulators.

However, this has been changed to two rates, GrainCorp and non-GrainCorp origin grain.

Mr Ginns said there was no competition issue that the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) would be interested in, as the differential reflected the added risk dealing with external grain.

“There’s a higher risk with grain from other sources of it failing quality standards, we’ve never seen the grain before, whereas if it is out of our sites, we can be certain it meets quality and hygiene standards.”