The Editor

Australian shoppers may have noticed a steep price hike on some of their favourite fresh fruit and vegetables over recent months, but profits from higher retail prices are not reaching farmers.

Government and industry representatives, businesses, agribusinesses, community members, advocates and anyone with an interest in this field are invited to attend the Activating the Low Carbon Economy in Regional Australia forum online on Thursday 19 August 2021 to learn more about embracing this developing industry and the opportunities it offers.

Australia’s leading rural charity, Rural Aid, has closed applications for its $1 million mouse plague fund, with 1000 farmers set to benefit from the support. Rural Aid opened the fund in June for farmers from many parts of the country whose livelihoods and incomes had been affected by the devastating mouse plague.

Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall has released the NSW Animal Welfare Reform – Discussion Paper as the next step in the NSW Government’s commitment to modernise animal welfare legislation.

The $7 million Tweed Organics Processing Facility will turn organic material, collected in green kerbside bins from across the Tweed, into useful compost. Up to 25,000 tonnes of food and garden organics can be processed annually on site – with the compost soon to be made available to households, farmers and businesses as well as being used on Council-maintained parks and gardens.

WA Water Minister Dave Kelly has announced the official completion of the Albany to Denmark pipeline, securing Denmark's long-term water supply in the face of climate change.

The latest ABARES Water Market Outlook report indicates water allocation prices in the southern Murray-Darling Basin are likely to remain low in 2021–22.