Farming

Geoff Bammann. The 2022 Eyre Peninsula Field Days’ committee is very excited to be able to welcome both visitors and exhibitors back to Cleve ... The field days is a great opportunity to catch up with friends and also to keep abreast of, not only, the latest in farming and technology, but also lifestyle, education, grain marketing and every other aspect of living in the country.

There is more certainty for farmers and the environment after the NSW Government’s licensing and measurement reform became law in Water Sharing Plans for the Border Rivers and Gwydir Valleys. Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson and Minister for Environment James Griffin have approved changes to the Border Rivers, Gwydir and Macquarie Water Sharing Plans.

NSW Farmers members called out a lack of fairness in the energy transition during debate at the organisation's annual conference ... “You cannot simply build infrastructure to benefit substantially city users without addressing the impact on regions and rural landowners who have invested in their biodiversity and production capacity,”: NSW Farmers Energy Transition Working Group Chair, Reg Kidd

With foot and mouth disease on Australia’s borders livestock owners and producers in the Wanneroo and Gingin areas need to be on guard as do farm workers returning from holidays who may have been in contact with susceptible animals while travelling ... “If there has been contact, consider requesting the worker isolate from livestock for seven days and ensure appropriate border declarations have been made to ensure all footwear, clothing and equipment is free of mud, animal manure and mucus to minimise the risk of introducing a disease,’’: DPIRD chief veterinary officer Michelle Rodan.

WAFarmers Livestock Council advises members of an update in policy on the implementation of EID tags for sheep and goats. The council has a standing policy to support EID tags for traceability in sheep and goats based on government funding to assist in the implementation of a national database to manage a national standardised process.

The Australian Government has ramped up its efforts to prevent foot and mouth disease (FMD) spreading to Australia ... Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said it is great to see the message about the seriousness of this disease overseas getting through to travellers ... Mr Littleproud has also called for the immediate offer of 3D X-ray technology at Indonesian airports ... Shaughn Morgan, co-CEO eastAUSmilk, advocates for all other shoes being carried by passengers to be inspected and disinfected as necessary. He also believes travel restrictions would be a sensible approach.

Australian livestock producers are hoping that tighter restrictions can limit the risk posed by Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) ... Local dairy and beef farmer, Matthew Searle, is keeping a keen eye on the developments. “If it was to get here, it would cripple us, ” he said. With control measures like ‘Stamp Out’ (the destruction of infected stock) the Searles, like many producers, dread an FMD outbreak wiping out decades of investing in the genetics and health of their stock.

Blueberry and avocado growers on the Coffs Coast are concerned about the arrival of Varroa mite in the region. Local NSW Farmers Coffs Harbour Branch Chair Paul Shoker said Varroa mite had been detected in hives near Nana Glen, and were linked to the Newcastle outbreak. “It’s a bit of a worry for our farmers as we approach pollination time, without bees we can’t produce avocados or blueberries, or a lot of other crops for that matter,” Mr Shoker said.

The SA Opposition is calling for additional biosecurity officers to be stationed at Adelaide Airport as fears grow over foot and mouth disease (FMD) potentially getting into South Australia which would have devastating consequences for the economy, jobs and cost of living. An urgent biosecurity staffing boost would allow for the luggage of every traveller from Indonesia to be individually inspected, creating an extra ring of protection for SA’s livestock industry while Labor governments sluggishly roll out disinfectant mats.

The Commonwealth Government has established Biosecurity Response Zones at international airports, another strong measure in response to the Indonesian outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) ... “These zones strengthen and widen the powers of biosecurity officers to direct passengers to use foot mats and other biosecurity control measures such as the cleaning of shoes ... I also announced the deployment of sanitisation foot mats at all international airports as an additional layer of protection for returning travellers from Indonesia" : Minister Watt.

“The Mulloon Institute heartily welcomes the Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek’s calls for structural reform and new environmental legislation,” said Mr Gary Nairn AO, Chairman of the Mulloon Institute and former Federal Liberal MP. The Institute restores degraded landscapes across Australia for improved agricultural productivity, enhanced environmental outcomes, improved biodiversity including habitat for threatened species, and greater community resilience to drought, bushfire and flood.

The Australian livestock industry will work with Indonesian feedlots to help protect their facilities from disease incursions and subsequent trade disruption via a biosecurity support project jointly funded by the Australian Government and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) ... MLA responded to a question from ARR.News about border closures.

The DAFF statement regarding the interception of items containing fragments of Foot and Mouth Disease brings home the urgent need to ramp up the resourcing of Australia's biosecurity systems and implement 100% screening of passengers returning from high-risk areas ... Fiona Simson responded to a question from ARR.News about border closures.

Parts of New South Wales are in the grip of a Varroa mite infestation, the most serious pest for honey bees ... Narrandera apiarist and owner of King Bee Honey, along with his wife Wendy, David Mumford, is one of the region's beekeepers to be affected. The Riverina region has fared well so far compared to other areas which have had hives eradicated.

Kirstin Nicholson. Two of the region’s young farmers will represent Australia at the Young Breeders School in Battice, Belgium. Kaitlyn Wishart and Georgia Sieben are part of the team of five that will represent Australia on the world dairy youth competition stage next month.

The NSW Government is backing growing industry calls for the urgent development of a national mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification system in light of the serious threat of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) entering Australia ... “Individual traceability for sheep and goats will be crucial during an emergency disease outbreak and deliver benefits across the supply chain" : Dugald Saunders, NSW Agriculture Minister.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has written to Victorian Minister Lily D ‘Ambrosio, Minister for Environment and Climate Action calling for an immediate suspension of the rules that allow camping on riverside farmland due to the biosecurity risks posed by both Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). VFF President Emma Germano said both LSD and FMD pose a very real risk to the agriculture industry and the Victorian Government must take swift action to prevent disaster.