Media Release

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is testing new methods for detecting environmental DNA (eDNA) of varroa mite under the Biosecurity Innovation Program’s Biosecurity molecular screening using eDNA project. A/g Deputy Secretary of Biosecurity and Compliance Peter Timson said eDNA technology is being evaluated as a mobile, rapid, and efficient way to evaluate for pest species on the biosecurity front line.

ProAgni (Lavington, NSW) has been named the $1 million grand prize winner of the Grow-NY business competition, a food and agriculture startup challenge focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage, and agriculture innovation cluster ... ProAgni  ... created a revolutionary range of supplements and feeds for livestock that lowers methane emissions from sheep and cattle without the use of antibiotics ...

Tegan George. Agents yarded 1325 head at the Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange regular prime sale on Wednesday, November 16. About 900 were young cattle with a large percentage of weaners in condition to suit restockers. There were very few showing enough finish for the trade.

The US – the world’s second-largest importer of beef after China – is likely to be looking for even more beef from global markets over the next three years, as its own domestic production declines, Rabobank says in a newly-released report. And – while Australia is among the major global beef exporters that could help fill the gap – its own supply constraints mean it will be challenged to find additional export volumes.

Lake Macquarie will be the first council area in the state to welcome shared e-scooters, with a 12-month trial along selected routes to begin from Monday December 5. Minister for Active Transport Rob Stokes said the NSW Government has worked closely with Lake Macquarie’s economic development company Dantia and e-scooter provider Beam to ensure the trial will benefit their community and put safety first.

With a new roof and a fresh coat of paint, the historic Old School at Beechmont has a smart new look ... "The Old School is part of the history of Beechmont and will be an important community centre well into the future as a venue for weddings, functions and local events which bring locals together and attract visitors to the region": Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen.

More than 100 rock fishers have walked away better educated in how to stay safe after Surf Life Saving NSW’s popular rock fishing safety program,  Gone Fishing, was successfully held at Avoca Beach ... more than 300 people ... learned all about vital safety measures and skill-building techniques specific to the popular but often deadly pastime.

Australia’s peak animal welfare body, Animal Care Australia, has published a score card of how each Victorian Political Party performed in supporting or opposing sound Animal Welfare initiatives for companion animals in this last term. Animal Care Australia painstakingly trawled through the last 3 years of Hansard (the official record of the Minutes of Victoria’s Parliament) to find how often each party spoke in favour of improving animal welfare and supporting companion animals, and those who blocked, or spoke against, those motions.

People living in regional Western Australia are being invited to complete a Department of Transport survey to help shape the future of bike riding in their local community. Three surveys targeting people who live in or visit the Gascoyne, Great Southern, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder regions are now open for comment on the  My Say Transport website, with the resulting feedback used to shape long-term cycling strategies for each region.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has revealed its State Election Scorecard rating the promises made by the major parties ahead of this weekend’s election. The VFF’s Election Scorecard scores the promises made by Labor and the Coalition according to the commitments that the VFF sought as part of its ‘Fair Go for Regional Vic’ campaign.

Notice of community meetings, flood information, SES status, advice and links provided by Alexandrina Shire in South Australia, where the River Murray meets the sea and flooding is predicted.

1.5 million sandbags and almost 8 km of flood barriers have been secured by the South Australia Government to help protect flood affected River Murray communities. Three kilometres of DefenCell barriers from India arrived in Adelaide on Saturday 19 November with a further four kilometres of product expected to arrive on 28 November from Italy.

Grain Producers Australia is calling on federal political leaders to deliver urgent solutions to fix infrastructure damage that’s having devastating impacts on farm viability and community safety ... The severe and untimely weather is also having a major impact on local road networks, exacerbating an already strained grains supply chain – not only on the east coast of Australia.

A milestone in the long road to recovery for a leading Scenic Rim visitor destination following the 2019 Black Summer bushfires has been marked with the opening of new facilities at Binna Burra Lodge ... the bushfire ... not only destroyed the heritage-listed Binna Burra Lodge and pioneer cabins but also the jobs of some 60 staff, who had to be retrenched after the cancellation of 4000 bookings including 15 weddings.  

The tiny town of Dardanup is celebrating its rich history with the opening of a new heritage trail, telling the fascinating stories of its first inhabitants. The trail covers 12 historic locations across the townsite ... The Old State School, Dardanup Post Office and Thomas Little Memorial Hall are just some of the landmarks featured.

The wild population of one of Australia’s rarest birds is being boosted after the release of 50 conservation-bred birds on Wonnarua Country in the Lower Hunter Valley this week. Minister for Environment James Griffin said this is the second large-scale release of conservation-bred regent honeyeaters undertaken in NSW.

Agriculture in NSW is contributing more to the economy than ever before despite this year’s devastating weather events, with the total value of the industry rising by more than $2 billion last year to a record $23.1 billion ... “Livestock industries also achieved a record value of $7.9 billion due to a recovery in sheep meat and wool production and higher lamb, beef and wool prices": Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders.

The Kowanyama Rangers were called to fight a large wildfire at the Oriners-Sefton property, located in the western Cape York Peninsula. The fire began in late October after a lightning storm rolled across the region around Paradise Creek and Sellars Creek, at the far-western side of Sefton ... “The cooperation between the Rangers and Traditional Owners was critical to the success of this operation. Everybody was working as a team”: Daryl Killin, Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council.

Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) will explore funding options to undertake koala population mapping within the Toowoomba Region ...“While it’s believed the koala is prevalent throughout the Toowoomba Region, the reality is the total extent of the numbers and their exact locations are not known": TRC Environment and Community Committee Portfolio Lead Cr Tim McMahon.

“La Nina weather patterns, global unrest, freight congestion and the pandemic has seen significant disruptions for many industries including agriculture. The Tasmanian Agri-Food ScoreCard 2020-21 confirms Tasmanian agriculture’s continued growth even in the face of unsettled production, market and climatic conditions": Ian Sauer TFGA President.

A two-part ABARES Insights series on Australian agriculture draws attention to how changes in the sector over past decades have led to its current success and what will shape its future performance. ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said farmers have made the most of exceptional growing seasons and high global prices to achieve unprecedented industry production and export values over the last three years.

Flinders Shire Council in North Queensland has announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Frontier Impact Group to investigate a project to harvest and convert woody weeds into renewable fuel and other valuable byproducts. Flinders Shire CEO, Mr Hari Boppudi said he was thrilled that Flinders Shire Council had signed the MOU to conduct a feasibility study on such an innovative project because landholders across the region had struggled with millions of hectares of good grazing land infested with woody weeds, such as Chinee Apple, Prickly Acacia, and Leucaena.