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31 May 2004 | $100m Iraq wheat debt written off
Australia's wheat farmers have been forced to write off a $100 million debt owed for wheat sold to Iraq before the first Gulf War. ...... FULL STORY
31 May 2004 | Farmers fear loss of dog trappers will bite hard
Gippsland farmers are urging the Victorian Government to think twice about reducing the number of dog trappers, as livestock continues to be menaced. ...... FULL STORY
28 May 2004 | Ord River region still has potential
Speaking at the launch of research commissioned by the Farmhand Foundation, Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said that areas where water is more plentiful should be targeted for further development, such as the Ord River Region... ...... FULL STORY
28 May 2004 | Dairy Farmers to restructure
Dairy Farmers will once again attempt to convert the 104-year-old co-operative into a listed processing company. ...... FULL STORY
27 May 2004 | Six NSW councils axed in mergers
Six regional New South Wales councils disappeared yesterday as the State Government forced 13 councils in the central west and near Albury to merge into seven. ...... FULL STORY
27 May 2004 | Senate misled over banana imports risk
Biosecurity Australia's controversial plan to allow Filipino banana imports has been further undermined by an official's admission that she misled a Senate committee on experts' opinions about the disease risks. ...... FULL STORY
26 May 2004 | Pork industry fights imports
The pork industry will take legal action against the Federal Government to force Biosecurity Australia to rethink its decision to widen pig meat imports. ...... FULL STORY
26 May 2004 | Cane growers mull over succession
Succession planning is now a critical factor for Queensland's 6,500 sugar-cane farmers. ...... FULL STORY
25 May 2004 | Taxpayers' beef about cattle subsidy
The Victorian National Parks Association has accused wealthy high-country cattle owners of exploiting the Man from Snowy River myth to keep cattle in the Victorian Alps. ...... FULL STORY
25 May 2004 | ABB Grain posts 38% profit rise
ABB Grain has reported a 38 per cent rise in net profit to $12.44 million for the six months ending March 31, 2004. ...... FULL STORY
24 May 2004 | SPC Ardmona out for acquisitions
Speculation that SPC Ardmona may swallow rival fruits and vegetable processor Golden Circle was strengthened this week when SPC chairman David Millerton said his company is still looking for acquisitions. ...... FULL STORY
24 May 2004 | Fighting sheep worms with genomics
Two CSIRO Livestock Industries research teams are using leading-edge technology to identify genes that enable sheep to resist intestinal parasites. ...... FULL STORY
21 May 2004 | Upgrades derail patronage
The Victorian Transport Minister has admitted that punctuality and patronage suffered on regional rail operator V/Line while track upgrades were carried out for regional fast-rail projects. ...... FULL STORY
21 May 2004 | Wineries sour over tax
Hundreds of medium-sized wineries could lose thousands of dollars in rebates from cellar door sales following changes to the Wine Equalisation Tax. ...... FULL STORY
20 May 2004 | Tax cuts to benefit farmers: NFF
Farmers are more likely to benefit from the Federal Government's income tax cuts than the wider community, according to the National Farmers' Federation. ...... FULL STORY
20 May 2004 | Pledge to cut farm aid delay
Federal, state and territory governments made a breakthrough yesterday which will mean farmers who face drought in the future will have an easier time applying for assistance. ...... FULL STORY
20 May 2004 | Backlash forces retreat on toxic dump
The Victorian Government has backed down on plans to locate a $200 million toxic waste centre on private land and has instead decided to locate the dump on Crown land at Nowingi, between Ouyen and Mildura. ...... FULL STORY
19 May 2004 | States in plea on drought aid
Australia's agriculture ministers will meet today, with the states likely to push federal Agriculture Minister Warren Truss to relax rules on access to drought assistance. ...... FULL STORY
18 May 2004 | Farmers warn on FTA impact
Sugar farmers and pork producers have told a Senate hearing into the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement that the deal has sold short local producers. ...... FULL STORY
18 May 2004 | Farmers learn to climb out of dark holes
Melbourne's Mental Health Research Institute says suicide rates, particularly among men, are significantly higher in rural areas than in cities due to financial hardship, a lack of mental health resources in country areas.... ...... FULL STORY
18 May 2004 | Ant threat may cost farmers millions
Fire ant infestations could cost South Australian farmers millions of dollars in eradication programs. ...... FULL STORY
18 May 2004 | Training and flexibility the key to retaining rural doctors
A Monash University study of more than 1,100 rural doctors indicates that Federal Government measures to attract doctors to rural areas are working. ...... FULL STORY
17 May 2004 | Farmers wild over killer dogs
Gippsland farmers are angry over a decision by the Victorian Government to stop funding to dog trappers. ...... FULL STORY
17 May 2004 | Glut sours grape outlook
The nation's grape glut just became worse, with Australia's biggest winery, Berri Estates, harvesting its largest vintage. ...... FULL STORY
17 May 2004 | Warning bell for pineapple growers
Golden Circle has warned its pineapple grower shareholders they might be in for a rough ride, after announcing plans to float. ...... FULL STORY
14 May 2004 | Regional Aust supports further Telstra sale: finance minister
The federal Finance Minister, Nick Minchin, believes regional Australians are supportive of the further sale of Telstra. ...... FULL STORY
14 May 2004 | New attack on 'risky' banana imports
Biosecurity Australia's proposal to remove restrictions on imports of Filipino bananas was criticised yesterday by another member of the expert panel that assessed the risks. ...... FULL STORY
14 May 2004 | Trans-Tasman wine tax stoush
The New Zealand Trade Minister, Jim Sutton, claims that Australian winemakers are being subsidised at the expense of their NZ counterparts. ...... FULL STORY
14 May 2004 | All-party committee rejects pigmeat import plan
An all-party Senate committee has backed the overturning of Biosecurity Australia's decision to allow the importation of pigmeat from 11 countries. ...... FULL STORY
13 May 2004 | SPC Ardmona gets fingers into jam
SPC Ardmona has purchased Australia's largest fruit spreads and fruit snacks manufacturer, Henry Jones IXL, from US-based JM Smucker Company for $51 million. ...... FULL STORY
13 May 2004 | Fowl play on GM-free labels
Consumer resistance to anything genetically modified has led to some poultry producers labelling their chickens "GM free". ...... FULL STORY
13 May 2004 | WA wild dog review group formed
A wild dog advisory committee has been formed in WA in response to the Agriculture Protection Board's wild dog review released late in 2003. ...... FULL STORY
12 May 2004 | Budget positive for farmers: NFF
The National Farmers' Federation believes drought-afflicted farmers will be happy that assistance schemes are being maintained through the federal Budget. ...... FULL STORY
12 May 2004 | Vic alpine grazing review
The Victorian Government has appointed the Alpine Grazing Taskforce to determine the future of alpine grazing in the state. ...... FULL STORY
11 May 2004 | Budget billions to woo bush vote
The Federal Government's Budget will be spearheaded by billions of dollars in new money for roads and farmers. ...... FULL STORY
11 May 2004 | Pigmeat imports cleared
Biosecurity Australia has cleared the way for the importation of pigmeat from 11 overseas countries, after an independent panel rejected five separate appeals against BA's impact risk analysis. ...... FULL STORY
11 May 2004 | Wine tax win
Taxes on wine will be reduced by more than $250 million in today's Federal Budget. ...... FULL STORY
11 May 2004 | ABB, Ausbulk vow to maintain competition
ABB Grain and Ausbulk have assured customers and farmers there will be no decrease in market competition after announcing their $850 million merger. ...... FULL STORY
10 May 2004 | HECS-style drought loans would relieve taxpayers: report
A new report says taxpayers would recoup up to 80 per cent of the money given to drought-afflicted farmers if a HECS-style loan system were adopted. ...... FULL STORY
10 May 2004 | Banana quarantine row
The row over easing quarantine restrictions on bananas is continuing, with suggestions that none of the experts hired to investigate the proposed changes agreed with a government report on the issue. ...... FULL STORY
10 May 2004 | Hemp production trials extended in NSW
Trials of commercial hemp production will continue in NSW despite the limited success of tests underway since 1995, the NSW Government says. ...... FULL STORY
7 May 2004 | Farmers attack AWB costs
The Grain Growers' Association has criticised AWB International in a submission to the Wheat Marketing Review Panel. ...... FULL STORY
7 May 2004 | Warning for SA irrigators on river flow drop
South Australian irrigators have been warned they may only receive 70 per cent of their normal water allocation from the River Murray in 2004-2005. ...... FULL STORY
7 May 2004 | Drought may push up food costs
Consumers could be paying more for meat, fruit and vegetables as the drought in New South Wales worsens, the State Agriculture Minister says. ...... FULL STORY
6 May 2004 | VFF plea for water levy flow-on
Irrigators want to access a $60 million revenue stream created by a proposed 5 per cent charge on Victorians' water bills. ...... FULL STORY
6 May 2004 | Ethanol industry 'cannot compete'
A yet-to-be-released report by the Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics warns that fuels made from grain or sugar have little hope of competing with petrol without ongoing taxpayer support for many years. ...... FULL STORY
6 May 2004 | Win for rural roads in Vic budget
Rural road funding has received an injection of almost $140 million in the Victorian State Budget, released this week. ...... FULL STORY
5 May 2004 | Trade gap widens after drop in farm exports
Australia's trade gap deficit has widened by 15 per cent to $1.99 billion, following an unexpected fall in farm exports in March. ...... FULL STORY
5 May 2004 | Elders sees role in Ausbulk, ABB union
Elders has signalled it wants ultimately to be involved in the merger between ABB Grain and Ausbulk, which would create an agribusiness giant to rival AWB Landmark. ...... FULL STORY
5 May 2004 | Country women reject Queen
The Country Women's Association has voted to ban the singing of "God Save the Queen" in halls of towns across New South Wales. ...... FULL STORY
5 May 2004 | Budget's rural gifts run from water to wine
Farmers will be given tax incentives to improve water management and boutique wineries offered tax breaks to boost cellar-door sales, as part of next week's federal Budget. ...... FULL STORY
4 May 2004 | Budget: $400m to help farmers
Next week's Federal Budget will allocate $400 million for the Government to help farmers deal with industry-specific problems as they arise. ...... FULL STORY
4 May 2004 | Rural business conditions deteriorate
Conditions in the agribusiness sector deteriorated in the March 2004 quarter, according to National Australia Bank's latest survey. ...... FULL STORY
4 May 2004 | Vet squad to be ready for animal crisis
The Federal Government will adopt recommendations made in a report on vets in the bush by former Livecorp chairman Peter Frawley. ...... FULL STORY
4 May 2004 | Bulking up: grain giants in $865m merger
The boards of ABB Grain and AusBulk have agreed on terms for a merger which will create a wheat, malt and barley trader with a market capitalisation of $865 million. ...... FULL STORY
3 May 2004 | Sugar package will not save industry: Katter
The $444 million aid package for Australia's sugarcane growers will not be enough to save the industry, says Queensland Independent MP Bob Katter. ...... FULL STORY
3 May 2004 | Telstra plugs rural plans
Telstra will unveil plans to upgrade broadband and mobile services for regional and rural customers tomorrow. ...... FULL STORY
3 May 2004 | Pratt pulls plug on drought-proof plan
Visy Industries' Richard Pratt has withdrawn from the Victorian Government's plan to "drought proof" Werribee, which provides most of Melbourne's leafy green vegetables. ...... FULL STORY
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