|
|
|
31 Mar 2004 | Plan to unite grain industry
A report on Australia's grain industry, released last week, says the industry must become more integrated if it's to maximise opportunities in global markets. ...... FULL STORY
31 Mar 2004 | Tassie aphid find sparks call for lettuce ban
Victoria's vegetable growers want Tasmanian lettuce imports banned, following the discovery of the lettuce aphid, identified in Tasmania last week. ...... FULL STORY
31 Mar 2004 | Farmer pay threat
Last week the Industrial Relations Commission removed an exemption on paying retrenchment benefits, which means small businesses could be forced to pay up to eight weeks' redundancy pay. ...... FULL STORY
31 Mar 2004 | Dairy co-op on outer as farmers vent GM fury
The Victorian Government's decision to extend the ban on genetically modified crops for an additional four years has sparked strong criticism from farmers, grain groups and biotechnology companies. ...... FULL STORY
31 Mar 2004 | Reprieve for Portland, Adelaide live-ex ports
The Federal Government will not close the Portland and Adelaide live animal export ports during the northern hemisphere summer, despite the recommendation of the Keniry review to do so. ...... FULL STORY
30 Mar 2004 | SA rural crisis to hit home
A new report prepared for the South Australian Farmers' Federation, "A Triple Bottom Line for the Bush", states that if the fall in farm numbers can't be halted the future of rural and regional Australia is bleak. ...... FULL STORY
30 Mar 2004 | Tas forestry spreads its roots
A Tasmanian land use survey has found that the area of farming land used for tree plantations has risen sharply. ...... FULL STORY
30 Mar 2004 | WA review of freed-up grain exports
A review has begun of Western Australia's partially deregulated grain export trading, which resulted in almost 20 per cent of last harvest's canola, barley and lupins being traded outside the Grain Pool monopoly. ...... FULL STORY
30 Mar 2004 | Farmer confidence at 12-month low
The February 2004 quarter Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey shows that Australian farmers' confidence has fallen to its lowest level in over a year, and that most farmers do not believe the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement will benefit them. ...... FULL STORY
30 Mar 2004 | Canadians put the sting on Australian honey imports
Australian honey has been removed from Canadian supermarket shelves after testing revealed minute traces of banned antibiotic nitrofurans. ...... FULL STORY
29 Mar 2004 | Live trade under debate
Federal Cabinet will examine the recommendations of the Keniry report on last year's Cormo Express sheep debacle this week, and is expected to consider the future of the live animal export trade. ...... FULL STORY
29 Mar 2004 | WA fox baiting starts in earnest
Western Australian landholders are stepping up their campaign against foxes, with 28 Dumbleyung farmers from 35 properties collecting a total of 600 1080 baits last week. ...... FULL STORY
29 Mar 2004 | Farm management deposits scheme change
Primary producers should be aware of a small but important change in the farm management deposits scheme. ...... FULL STORY
29 Mar 2004 | Red meat industry seeks $20m for NLIS
The Cattle Council of Australia, the Australian Meat Industry Council, ALFA, MLA and Australian Dairy Farmers have drafted a submission seeking $20 million to help introduce the National Livestock Identification System. ...... FULL STORY
29 Mar 2004 | New national stock agents' body planned
A new national stock and station agents' organisation is likely to be established next month, arising out of the current Stock and Station Agents' Association.... ...... FULL STORY
26 Mar 2004 | Vic Govt extends GM ban and is accused of backward step
The Victorian Government has extended its ban on commercial genetically modified crop planting until 2008, but will consider applications to run small research trials. ...... FULL STORY
26 Mar 2004 | Drought support questioned
Professor Beth Woods, the chairwoman of the National Drought Review panel, has questioned whether the Federal Government's current drought assistance arrangements are helping the farmers most in need. ...... FULL STORY
26 Mar 2004 | Sugar industry slams think-tank's call for no govt aid
Canegrowers and Sugar 2020 have criticised a report by the Centre for Independent Studies which called for an end to industry rescue plans by the Government. ...... FULL STORY
26 Mar 2004 | Warning on cattle pour-on
A livestock manager for HW Greenham and Sons at Tongala has warned about the risk to Australian beef markets of a new pour-on cattle treatment, Genesis Ultra Pour-on. ...... FULL STORY
26 Mar 2004 | Auditor slams rushed dairy changes
The Federal Auditor-General has criticised the $1.8 billion deregulation of Australia's dairy industry, claiming it was rushed and officials underestimated the enormity of the task. ...... FULL STORY
25 Mar 2004 | Wandering wheat finds a buyer
Four shiploads of Australian wheat, rejected by Pakistan for allegedly being contaminated with karnal bunt fungus, have been sold to Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka. ...... FULL STORY
25 Mar 2004 | Last of the doggers
In Western Australia there is only a handful of doggers left - once there were 20 or 30 who roamed the state's wheatbelt. ...... FULL STORY
25 Mar 2004 | Sugar farm handouts will 'entrench inefficiencies'
The proposed $240 million sugar industry rescue package will entrench inefficient farmers and provide wealthy operators with a taxpayer-funded handout, according to a Centre for Independent Studies report. ...... FULL STORY
25 Mar 2004 | 'Bribe' campaign to sell Telstra in bush scrapped
A leaked document shows that the Federal Government has been putting together a $3.25 million advertising campaign to induce regional newspapers to run stories on improved telecommunications services in the bush. ...... FULL STORY
25 Mar 2004 | Ban put on our honey
Australian honey has been removed from supermarkets in Canada after the country's food inspection agency said it contained a group of antibiotics known as nitrofurans. ...... FULL STORY
24 Mar 2004 | $100m extra for rural hospitals
Country hospitals would be given an additional $100 million in funding under a rural health wishlist put together by key interest groups, including the National Farmers' Federation and the Rural Doctors' Association. ...... FULL STORY
24 Mar 2004 | Fare or fowl: clearing the air
Chickens are antibiotic-ridden, genetically modified and unhygienic - or so the common consumer (mis)perceptions go. ...... FULL STORY
24 Mar 2004 | Farmers, Monsanto slam WA GM ban
Farmers and Monsanto have criticised the Western Australian Government's decision to ban genetically modified crops. ...... FULL STORY
24 Mar 2004 | Rain-shy Show runs for cover
Sydney's Royal Easter Show starts next Friday, and for the first time the Royal Agriculture Society has taken out a weather derivative insurance policy to cut its losses if the Easter four-day long weekend is particularly wet. ...... FULL STORY
24 Mar 2004 | Safety rules hit farmers
Livestock carriers and farmers will soon be forced to erect safety barriers or wear safety harnesses when working more than 2 metres off the ground, under new Victorian protection measures to take effect from April 1. ...... FULL STORY
23 Mar 2004 | GM crops banned from WA
The Western Australian Government yesterday announced that no genetically modified food crops will be grown in the state until at least 2006. ...... FULL STORY
23 Mar 2004 | RSPCA divided on caged chooks
The RSPCA's position on the chicken industry, as stated by its national head Hugh Wirth, is that no animal should be kept confined too closely so that it can't perform its natural behaviours. ...... FULL STORY
23 Mar 2004 | Technological chasm shows up in country
Research undertaken by Southern Cross University shows that the lack of infrastructure in regional areas has created a huge gap in Internet and e-mail use between regional and metropolitan small businesses. ...... FULL STORY
23 Mar 2004 | EU pork subsidies go after Australian call
The European Union has brought forward its end-date for short-term pork subsidies, which were due to finish in April. ...... FULL STORY
23 Mar 2004 | Community grape crop
One of the world's oldest suburban vineyards celebrated its annual harvest yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
22 Mar 2004 | Tiny town battles the odds in survival race
Most of the residents of the tiny western Queensland community of Ilfracombe gathered for the 101st running of the Willow Cup on Saturday. ...... FULL STORY
22 Mar 2004 | CSIRO push for funding boost
CSIRO is pushing for a significant increase in funding in this year's federal budget so it can press ahead with its key national research priorities. ...... FULL STORY
22 Mar 2004 | Hatching a locust horror
Although they're not officially a plague, the swarms of locusts now chewing their way through western New South Wales threaten to be a big danger to crops, pastures and the farm economy by next Spring. ...... FULL STORY
22 Mar 2004 | Pushing the chook to science's limit
Just 25 years ago, a chook took 64 days to reach a live weight of two kilograms - today it can do it in 35 days, on only 3.5 kilograms of feed. ...... FULL STORY
22 Mar 2004 | Live meat trade gets inside run
A report commissioned by the WA Government claims that federal and state governments favour the live animal trade and erect barriers to the export of processed meat. ...... FULL STORY
19 Mar 2004 | Shearer shortage clips woolgrowers
A national shortage of shearers and shed hands is forcing some small graziers to abandon sheep, their historic breadwinner. ...... FULL STORY
19 Mar 2004 | Moves to protect the national piggery
A new joint industry-government working group will be formed to develop a plan to secure the future of Australia's $1 billion pork industry, which has been hit by rising imports, falling prices, high feed prices and quarantine fears. ...... FULL STORY
19 Mar 2004 | NSW farmers promised legal protection over GM
No genetically modified food crops will be planted in New South Wales until farmers are given legal protection against possible contamination, the State Agriculture Minister said yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
19 Mar 2004 | Boort tomato grower named rural women's award winner
Marilyn Lanyon, a tomato grower from Boort, has been named as the winner of the 2003 Rural Women's Awards from eight finalists in Victoria. ...... FULL STORY
19 Mar 2004 | Sugar plan a betrayal, farmers say
A breakaway group of cane farmers has condemned the $600 million industry rescue plan put forward by the peak farming lobby Canegrowers and employers' group the Australian Sugar Millers' Association. ...... FULL STORY
18 Mar 2004 | Demand for new import inquiry after banana slip
Australian banana growers fighting Filipino imports have called for a new inquiry into the the threat of disease after it was revealed that Biosecurity Australia's risk assessment model contained an error. ...... FULL STORY
18 Mar 2004 | Pork chops up chicken, lamb
A Roy Morgan survey of fresh meat meals has found that Australians bought more fresh pork meals than fresh chicken in the December 2003 quarter. ...... FULL STORY
18 Mar 2004 | Grain export threat
Australia's reputation as a world-quality grain exporter is under threat on two fronts: the US has sold more than 100,000 tonnes of subsidised wheat to Iraq... ...... FULL STORY
18 Mar 2004 | Locust plague to continue
A swarm of locusts hit the New South Wales town of Dubbo this week and experts say that more are on the way within a few days. ...... FULL STORY
18 Mar 2004 | No sale as receiver trims Parmalat
Parmalat's administrator said yesterday that there are no plans for the bankrupt Italian company to sell in the proposed restructuring. ...... FULL STORY
17 Mar 2004 | Fix the problems and we'll walk: RSPCA
The RSPCA says that if the animal welfare problems are fixed it will leave the live export industry alone. ...... FULL STORY
17 Mar 2004 | US farm analysis backs FTA
An analysis compiled for the American Farm Bureau claims that the US-Australia free trade agreement will benefit farmers in both countries. ...... FULL STORY
17 Mar 2004 | Filipino bananas a disease risk: plant expert
A Queensland University of Technology plant virologist says Biosecurity Australia's draft import risk analysis on Filipino bananas opens the way for Australia to be exposed to banana bract mosaic virus (BBMV). ...... FULL STORY
17 Mar 2004 | Rural areas urge services before migrants
Rural Queenslanders are questioning the wisdom of federal Labor's plan to force 45 per cent of migrants to settle in regional areas. ...... FULL STORY
17 Mar 2004 | Improved wool clip may be short-lived
Australia's wool clip is expected to increase in 2005, for the first time in 15 years, but the recovery may be short-lived as producers opt for prime lamb production over wool growing. ...... FULL STORY
16 Mar 2004 | Beattie to push tree-clearing ban in Qld
The Queensland Government will introduce its controversial large-scale tree-clearing ban legislation into parliament this week ...... FULL STORY
16 Mar 2004 | Irrigation efforts to be showcased at farm forum
A forum will be held later this year to look at ways to use water efficiently and efforts by Australia's farmers to save water will be showcased. ...... FULL STORY
16 Mar 2004 | Move to send migrants bush
The federal Labor Opposition is considering a radical plan that would see 45 per cent of new arrivals to Australia being forced to settle in regional areas. ...... FULL STORY
16 Mar 2004 | Rabobank sees continued growth in rural Australia
Rural lender Rabobank expects its operations in Australia and New Zealand to continue growing in 2004 and beyond on the back of the agribusiness, agricultural and food sector. ...... FULL STORY
16 Mar 2004 | Smiles all round as eggs reverse trend
Sunny Queen Farm, Queensland's largest supplier of eggs, has something to cluck about: it has posted a record $1.1 million profit for 2002-2003 following a $1 million loss in 2002. ...... FULL STORY
15 Mar 2004 | Live export sector aims for Middle East growth
Dr Nigel Brown, a vet who has run the live animal export trade to the Middle East and Africa for Meat & Livestock Australia and LiveCorp for the past two years, says the $1 billion industry has been misrepresented and has a strong future. ...... FULL STORY
15 Mar 2004 | 'Zinc cream' stops fruit burning
Queensland scientists have developed a "zinc cream" for fruit which they hope will stop the sun damaging developing avocados, apples and other fruit. ...... FULL STORY
15 Mar 2004 | China snaps up world's softest bale of wool
The finest-ever bale of wool has been sold to Shanghai-based company Kathaytex for $675,000. ...... FULL STORY
15 Mar 2004 | 'Quickie' tests for bird flu outbreaks
CSIRO Livestock Industries and the Australian Biosecurity Co-operative Research Centre are developing fast diagnostic tests for the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza. ...... FULL STORY
15 Mar 2004 | Growers turn back on ethanol handout
Federal Government funds for the expansion of Australia's ethanol industry have failed to excite Queensland's cane growers, with only two of 38 applications for grants for sugar-based projects to date. ...... FULL STORY
12 Mar 2004 | AWB shrugs off Pakistan rejection
AWB Ltd predicted yesterday it would sell an additional 5 million tonnes of grain to Asia over the next five years, on top of the 5 million tonnes already being exported to that region. ...... FULL STORY
12 Mar 2004 | Cane growers battle to fight off fire sales
Canegrowing land values are significantly down compared with five years ago, but there's little data to substantiate the view - transactions have almost ground to a halt over the past six months. ...... FULL STORY
12 Mar 2004 | ABARE, Elders differ over wool outlook
ABARE and Elders have diverse views about the future of the wool industry: ABARE said recently that real prices are on a long-term steady decline, while Elders believes fine wool is the world's fastest-growing luxury fibre. ...... FULL STORY
12 Mar 2004 | Councils discuss GM crops
A forum of Victorian local government council representatives, to be held in Creswick this weekend, will discuss genetically modified crops. ...... FULL STORY
12 Mar 2004 | Country power costs to jump
Country Victorians will pay up to $23 million more in electricity bills this year to offset cuts in the State Government's power rebates. ...... FULL STORY
11 Mar 2004 | Delahunty backs down in rural zoning row
The Victorian Planning Minister has backed down on proposals that would have stopped landowners subdividing land: ...... FULL STORY
11 Mar 2004 | Ultrafine record faces southern challenge
Queensland's claim on producing the finest wool bale could already have been bettered. ...... FULL STORY
11 Mar 2004 | Consumers can't get enough of red meat: MLA
Australians are buying more red meat despite higher prices, according to Meat and Livestock Australia. ...... FULL STORY
11 Mar 2004 | Plant disease discovery solves rusty problem
CSIRO Plant Industry has discovered a gene that is the "Achilles heel" of rust, a common disease of plants. ...... FULL STORY
11 Mar 2004 | Boardroom battle looms at AWB
AWB Ltd director Laurie Marshall will battle for his board seat today when WA wheat growers vote at the company's annual meeting in Melbourne. ...... FULL STORY
10 Mar 2004 | Sheep farmers plan for future
A survey carried out by the Kondinin farm information group has found that sheep and wool producers are better at planning for retirement and succession than other farmers. ...... FULL STORY
10 Mar 2004 | NZ dairy farms more profitable
A new study, funded by Dairy Australia and prepared by ABARE, indicates that New Zealand diary farms are more profitable than Australia's. ...... FULL STORY
10 Mar 2004 | Vaile urges wheat tests
Australia's Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, has demanded independent tests of two wheat shipments rejected by Pakistan a fortnight ago and now stranded off Karachi. ...... FULL STORY
10 Mar 2004 | VFF seeks money for water reform fighting fund
The Victorian Farmers' Federation's general council voted last week in favour of a one-off levy of 20 cents a megalitre to establish a water reform fighting fund. ...... FULL STORY
10 Mar 2004 | New ally for single desk
Ten grain growers from NSW, Victorian and Queensland have joined to form a lobby group to support AWB (International) Ltd's management of the wheat single desk. ...... FULL STORY
9 Mar 2004 | Online auctions on show
The National Council of Wool Selling Brokers will run a simulation of its proposed online wool auction sales at the forthcoming Sydney Royal Easter Show. ...... FULL STORY
9 Mar 2004 | Bleak in bush, sunny outside
Delegates to ABARE's Outlook conference last week were told that the value of farm exports should rise next financial year by about 4 per cent to $26.3 billion. ...... FULL STORY
9 Mar 2004 | $1000 rebate to convert to gas
Country Victorians are being offered rebates up to $1,000 if they convert to natural gas, in a $2.5 million scheme launched yesterday by the State Government. ...... FULL STORY
9 Mar 2004 | Expert finds fault with banana study
A University of Queensland expert in banana diseases says Biosecurity Australia has made a series of scientific errors in its decision to allow imports of Philippine bananas. ...... FULL STORY
9 Mar 2004 | Rural areas 'need help urgently'
Urgent action is needed if some rural and remote parts of New South Wales are to avoid entrenched disadvantage, The Ignatius Centre says. ...... FULL STORY
8 Mar 2004 | Pakistanis again reject our wheat
Pakistan has again rejected two shipments of Australian wheat, stranded off Karachi, labelling them "unhygienic". ...... FULL STORY
8 Mar 2004 | Dairy Farmers eyes ASX listing
Australia's second largest fresh milk producer, Dairy Farmers Group, will ask its farmer-owners to vote on splitting the co-operative into two. ...... FULL STORY
8 Mar 2004 | Huge potential for water-efficient wheat
Independent field trials of a Graingene-bred water-efficient wheat variety have shown it has the potential to add millions of dollars to the value of the NSW wheat crop. ...... FULL STORY
8 Mar 2004 | Cane growers 'must settle for less'
The Prime Minister met with sugar industry representatives and cane growers over the weekend in Cairns and Mackay. ...... FULL STORY
8 Mar 2004 | Lamb forecast to remain high, mutton steady
ABARE is expecting an average annual lamb price of 339 cents a kilogram for the 2004-2005 financial year and the price is not expected to fall below 290 cents a kilogram before 2009, in real terms. ...... FULL STORY
5 Mar 2004 | Meetings dash milk price hopes
Murray Goulburn suppliers were hoping for some good news regarding milk prices for the coming months, but have come away from meetings disappointed. ...... FULL STORY
5 Mar 2004 | Humble spud wins blue chip status
Tasmania sealed its crown as Australia's potato state yesterday when Simplot opened a $35 million expansion to its Ulverstone french fry processing capacity. ...... FULL STORY
5 Mar 2004 | US can impose tariff on beef forever
The fine print of the free trade agreement reveals that the US can place tariffs on Australian beef and horticultural exports for an indefinite period. ...... FULL STORY
5 Mar 2004 | Wheat disease claims to be put to test
Australian officials will try this week to resolve the impasse with Pakistan over two shipments of wheat said to have the fungal disease karnal bunt. ...... FULL STORY
5 Mar 2004 | Tassie fee for 1080 use
Landholders in Tasmania will have to pay a fee from next week for using 1080 to control browsing animals. ...... FULL STORY
4 Mar 2004 | Water trade a step closer
Water trade between farms and states moved one step closer yesterday, with the Federal Government releasing a proposal for a title system. ...... FULL STORY
4 Mar 2004 | ALP 'on wrong side of farm gate'
The Deputy Prime Minister has criticised city-dwellers for their lack of understanding of the effort farmers put into food and fibre production. ...... FULL STORY
4 Mar 2004 | NFF push on drought support
The National Farmers' Federation has called for a revamped farm management deposit scheme and tax incentives to ensure farmers are more self-reliant in times of drought. ...... FULL STORY
4 Mar 2004 | ABB Grain, AusBulk end merger talks
ABB Grain Ltd and AusBulk Ltd have ended their merger talks for the third time and conceded it's unlikely they will ever join together. ...... FULL STORY
4 Mar 2004 | Trade deal worse than was touted
The free trade agreement between Australia and the US offers Australian farmers fewer benefits than claimed, according to a public service document. ...... FULL STORY
3 Mar 2004 | Farms still struggling: ABARE
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics released a report at its annual Outlook conference which shows almost a quarter of all primary producers will make a loss this year. ...... FULL STORY
3 Mar 2004 | Animal exports welfare warning
Agriculture Minister Warren Truss has warned live animal exporters that they will lose their licences if they do not improve and meet welfare standards. ...... FULL STORY
3 Mar 2004 | Cane farmers get a $26m sweetener
The Federal Government will extend sugarcane farmers a $26 million lifeline, as the first part of a compensation package for their being excluded from the Australia-US FTA. ...... FULL STORY
3 Mar 2004 | Pollen find could lift canola fortunes
A team of scientists at La Trobe University has developed a way to produce canola hybrids that could lift yields by up to almost one-third. ...... FULL STORY
3 Mar 2004 | Farmers take toxic dump fight to the city
Farmers will take their protest against the Victorian Government's plans to build a toxic waste dump on prime agricultural land to Melbourne tomorrow. ...... FULL STORY
2 Mar 2004 | ABARE conference kicks off
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics will report its forecasts for the farm and mining sectors at its annual Outlook conference, which takes place today. ...... FULL STORY
2 Mar 2004 | Coalition of regional airlines takes flight
Several regional airlines have joined forces under an umbrella group to ensure the survival of flights to country centres and offer cost advantages to customers. ...... FULL STORY
2 Mar 2004 | Senate to examine open door on food imports
A full Senate inquiry will investigate Australia's quarantine regimen, following last month's decision by Biosecurity Australia to allow imports of more pigmeat, New Zealand apples and Filipino bananas. ...... FULL STORY
2 Mar 2004 | Sugar growers reach deal on restructure
Queensland's 6,000 sugarcane growers and the State Government reached agreement yesterday on the restructuring of the industry. ...... FULL STORY
2 Mar 2004 | Healthy win for town's hospital
The Mallee town of Manangatang was celebrating yesterday, as the Victorian Government guaranteed its hospital and nursing home would stay open for at least two more years. ...... FULL STORY
1 Mar 2004 | Qld locust plague heading to SA
The locust plague that has invaded south-west Queensland could be headed for South Australia. ...... FULL STORY
1 Mar 2004 | Spiky pest is back, but won't go pear-shaped
The prickly pear, which destroyed millions of hectares of farmland and led to special laws for its destruction, is making a comeback in parts of south-west Sydney. ...... FULL STORY
1 Mar 2004 | Glut puts squeeze on Tassie hop crop
Hops production in the Derwent Valley has been almost cut in half over the past three years due to the international market being oversupplied. ...... FULL STORY
1 Mar 2004 | Our rules are tough, BA insists
Biosecurity Australia has defended its risk analyses relating to imports of pigmeat, Philippine bananas and New Zealand apples. ...... FULL STORY
1 Mar 2004 | Fury fires tiny town
The small Victorian town of Manangatang has vowed to fight plans to close the cash-strapped Manangatang and District Hospital. ...... FULL STORY
|
|
|
