Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke said his group cannot and would not back away from its stance - there is nothing more important than the safety of farmers, farming families and farm workers.

He said the decision to withdraw products from the Australian market, rather than adhere to Australia's new safety regulations, had caused significant angst in the farming community.

The VFF chief said Victorian farmers had enjoyed mutually beneficial relationships with manufacturers and their dealers for decades.

The new safety regulations, including the mandatory fitting of Operator Protection Devices from October next year, are designed to address the 15 deaths and 650 hospitalisations per year caused by quad bike accidents, according to Safe Work Australia.

"More than 5000 Victorian farmers have participated in Victoria's quad bike rebate scheme, demonstrating their commitment to farm safety," Mr Jochinke said.

"We may be a small portion of the international quad bike market, but we also understand that we are not the first country to mandate roll over protection, and that we will not be the last.

"Rollover protection has been mandatory in Israel since the early 1990s, yet Israel still enjoys a competitive market for safe, compliant quad bikes."

Mr Jochinke said that despite the original withdrawal of some manufacturers from the Israeli market, quad bikes are still available for sale in that country.

"We commend the manufacturers that have committed to remain in the Australian market for demonstrating the workability of Australia's laws and for putting safety first," he said.

"We hope that other manufacturers also choose to stay, retaining the mutually rewarding relationships our members have with them and their dealers."

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