Hawke's Bay potato growers say their Australian counterparts seem to have forgotten CER is a two-way street.
Tasmanian farmers took their protest against major retailers sourcing produce from New Zealand to Sydney yesterday.
Food processor McCains announced recently that they would be sourcing their frozen potato chips for the McDonald's fast-food chain
from New Zealand rather than Australia.
Tractors are a rare sight on Sydney streets, but a convoy laboured through the central business district as groups of farmers handed out fresh fruit to passersby.
Eight tractors crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday in readiness for yesterday's protest.
"It's pretty historic actually. It's probably the first time a convoy of tractors has crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge," Fair Dinkum Food campaign organiser Richard Bovill told the ABC.
The convoy has moved through to Victoria into New South Wales and reaches its final destination, Canberra, on Thursday.
Upset about the major retailers sourcing produce from New Zealand, the farmers also want Australian consumers to know where fruit and vegetables on supermarket shelves come from.
Hastings potato grower Doug Whitfield said the CER agreement seemed to be a one-way street.
"They want to send us their tomatoes, grapes and oranges but don't want to take our potatoes and apples.
"I can't blame them but it is a business deal between McCains and McDonald's."
However, Takapau grower Donald Fraser says the Australians are simply looking after their own.
"And I'd like to think we would do the same."
He says there will be no overall advantage to New Zealand growers because McCains will take potatoes that were going to the Asian market.
"I do sympathise with their growers and we New Zealand growers haven't really gained anything."
The Australian growers' campaign aims to highlight the importation of fresh and packaged fruit and vegetables and the impact it has on Australian farming families.
The rallies started in Tasmania after McDonald's decided to source more of its potatoes from New Zealand.
Greens Senator Bob Brown said he would introduce a private member's bill for proper food labelling standards when the Senate reconvenes tomorrow.
"Isn't it interesting that it takes a protest from the farmers to get Labour and Liberal to start thinking about the obvious need for truth in labelling - not just for farmers but also for the consumers, for shoppers," he said.
