Trade

John Hassell. On 16 July members of the ‘Keep the Sheep’ group of industry peak bodies fighting to retain the live sheep trade signed off on a letter to the WA Minister for Agriculture, Jackie Jarvis, in response to the Albanese government's disgraceful vote to put live exports to the sword. Now I won’t print the whole letter, but it is worth knowing what WAFarmers, the Pastoralists and Graziers, WA Shearers, Livestock Transporters, Stud Marino Breeders and the Live Exporters Assn are asking in the letter, so I'll quote the key bits ...

The Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry, in partnership with the Moroccan embassy in Australia, DFAT, Austrade and the Moroccan Australian Business Council, is proud to announce that we are conducting a Trade Mission to Morocco in October 2024. The Trade Mission is designed to gain business in a country where the scope of business is extremely bright and where sectoral opportunities are very strong.

These fees and charges, largely applying to importers and travellers entering and leaving the country, had remained unchanged for the best part of a decade until July 2023 and have since brought in an additional $47.1 million.  Grain Producers Australia Chair Barry Large said having fees and charges for these activities match the actual costs of managing these processes, whether it be for inspections and assessments or potential incident management, was commonsense.  

Farmers have welcomed a $47.1 million dollar boost to the nation’s biosecurity system thanks to the Australian Government’s new fees and charges system for importers. NSW Farmers Biosecurity Committee Chair Ian McColl said the new cost recovery mechanism was a strong step towards better biosecurity funding for the future, with the proposed biosecurity tax on farmers now defeated in the Senate.

You have to hand it to the Russians; they are a resilient mob. I had started to write a story back in May about how drought, frost, labour, and parts shortages were about to combine and smash their next grain harvest but luckily, I didn’t, as my predictions would have been way off the mark. As it turns out, despite what all the global grain experts said at the time, about Russia facing a difficult year, it seems they are on track for another big crop.

National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke has labelled the Federal Government’s recent correspondence on the live cattle class action as an “appalling attack on victims”. In a letter the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus sent to the NFF and provided to media last week, the Government has accused the victims of trying to line their pockets.

The state will lose taxpayers, and entrepreneurs will face additional difficulties in doing business. The state budget and entrepreneurs will lose in order to curb terrorism and international crime. In the case of bank accounts for foreigners, a long-standing rule of humanity applies. Namely, they choose the lesser of two evils. This is an unspoken rule of the global financial system.

Commodity prices, production and exports have broadly lifted in the first half of the year, with beef the standout performer in Rural Bank’s Australian agriculture mid-year outlook 2024 (the Outlook), released today. With an overall outlook favourable for the second half of the year, despite some variability across sectors, some cost-of-living relief is also expected to reach beyond the farm gate.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says the Victorian agriculture industry can propel the state’s economy and surpass $20 billion dollars of food and fibre exports by 2030 if the Victorian Government focusses on road maintenance, lowering costs and improving freight efficiency. In a submission to the Refresh of the Victorian Freight Strategy, VFF President Emma Germano said having a plan to maintain and fix regional roads would be key to reinforcing agriculture…

Jason Perrin. "What scraps do we grape growers get from you? Just $3.5m. I guess it’s obvious the future security and survival of the Riverland, the Riverina and areas of the Murray Valley are not as important as a new rugby team in Papua New Guinea."

Well, thanks for coming today. It's important we've got Keep the Sheep Movement here. They have come from Western Australia. They're showing respect to this Parliament by coming in and trying to talk to Senators and give them the opportunity to learn of their lived experience of their livelihoods that are going to take to be taken away.

Australia’s avocado industry is grappling with another year of increased production and low prices, according to a new report by agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank. However, the world’s growing appetite for the popular nutrient-packed green fruit is offering growers some relief, with increasing export demand for Australia’s produce, the report says.

The NAB Rural Commodities Index* has continued its upwards momentum, increasing 1.4 per cent month-on-month in May, driven by rising prices for wheat, barley, canola and lamb. The Index is now around levels last seen in February 2023, according to NAB’s June Rural Commodities Wrap released today.

House of Representatives. The Australian Parliament’s  Agriculture Committee  has presented its advisory report for its inquiry into the  Export Control Amendment (Ending Live Sheep Exports by Sea) Bill 2024, which will end the live sheep export trade by sea by 1 May 2028 ... Committee Chair,  Ms Meryl Swanson MP, said: ‘The bill fulfils the Albanese Government’s election promise to end the live export of sheep by sea while providing time and money for the orderly transition of industry to new avenues of production and trade.’

The National Farmers' Federation (NFF) President David Jochinke and CEO Tony Mahar, along with the Special Representative for Australian Agriculture (SRAA) Su McCluskey, are championing the vital message of Australia’s trade and sustainability credentials in Europe. The delegation has been showcasing the Australian Agriculture Sustainability Framework (AASF), an industry-led initiative that highlights Australia's dedication to sustainable agriculture.  

Does RSPCA approved extend to King Charles? Last week the RSPCA spent some of its donor’s money plus a share of the funds given to them by the taxpayers of WA to continue their long running anti-farming campaign by publishing a letter to the community in the West Australian. The paid advertisement reads like it was written by radical university animal activists, rather than what was once a highly respected animal welfare organisation.

Uarah Fisheries at Grong Grong is attempting to establish an export market for live golden perch in China. The aquaculture farm will export tens of thousands of native golden perch fingerlings to China as demand grows for Australian fish.

Today the House of Representatives, Standing Committee is holding the first of two public hearings on the legislation to end live sheep exports by sea ... From the moment this policy was inadvertently announced via an animal activist organisation just two weeks from the Federal Election, the process has been a farce, and the hard-working people of our industry have been treated with absolute contempt.  

Efforts are underway to continue to grow the important trade relationship between Australia and Japan, with exports from Australia to Japan valued at $154 million annually, through a series of inbound and outbound trade activities ... the program will enable Australian and Japanese horticulture industry representatives to build relationships, expand networks, exchange knowledge, and explore commercial and research opportunities.