NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro is calling on the government to secure a water allocation for irrigators in Australia’s food bowl.

Mr Barilaro and NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey have requested an emergency meeting with federal Water Minister Keith Pitt, in the hopes the Commonwealth will agree to underwrite agricultural water costs.

“We prioritise the environment over community and irrigators, and it’s just absolute nonsense,” he tells Mark Levy.

Mr Barilaro has criticised the Murray-Darling Basin Plan extensively and argues NSW sacrifices more water than Queensland or South Australia, which is putting Australia’s food security at risk.

“If we’ve learned anything from COVID, that has got to be that as a nation, we’ve got to start relying on ourselves to feed ourselves.

“We need to start growing our own crops; our own flour, our own rice.

“If there’s ever time that we need a water stimulus for this nation, it is now.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview