A call from union boss Paul Howes to end the days of "ma and pa farming" in Australia is ignorant and shows contempt for families working in the sector, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.
Criticising the government's decision to knockback a US takeover of GrainCorp, the Australian Workers' Union national secretary said the agricultural sector needed investment from large conglomerates.
The day of ma and pa farming "needs to end", Mr Howes said on Sunday.
Dismissing the comments, Mr Abbott said there was a place for all types of business in the agricultural sector: "large Australian businesses, large international businesses, smaller businesses and the family farm".
"I think it betrays a certain ignorance of the farm sector, and I think it betrays a lamentable contempt for family business and for family farming," the prime minister told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"These family farms are very sophisticated operations, multi-million dollar operations, they're highly efficient and capable of competing on good terms with much larger businesses."
