Vegetables Australia January-February_2017_LR

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10 | January/February - 2017 | 11
R&D | CRISIS MANAGEMENT |
Many growers and industry members may be unaware that a Crisis Management Team, facilitated by AUSVEG,
has been funded and trained to effectively respond to any crisis that may negatively impact growers, consumers,
industry assets or the reputation of the vegetable industry as a whole. Vegetables Australia outlines the role of
the Crisis Management Team and its objectives moving forward.
Horticulture Innovation Australia, the University of Tasmania and New Zealand-based Lincoln University have
established a ground-breaking partnership with Wageningen University of the Netherlands, while AUSVEG has
announced its own Memorandum of Understanding with Dutch seed company Rijk Zwaan.
MANAGING A CRISIS IN THE VEGETABLE INDUSTRY
HISTORIC SIGNINGS BETWEEN AUSTRALAS IAN
AND DUTCH HORTICULTURAL ORGANISATIONS
A number of recent events have, directly and indirectly, negatively
impacted the vegetable industry’s growers, market position, supply
chain and reputation with government, retailers and customers.
These events range from accidental contamination of fresh produce
to significant workforce issues and unrest.
In these situations, a crisis management plan has been developed
by the industry to respond to a crisis. As a result of AUSVEG’s role
in facilitating this plan, the Crisis Management Team works with
relevant stakeholders, authorities and the supply chain to manage
the issue to protect the industry’s reputation.
LOOKING FORWARD
Currently, steps are being taken to research and develop
improvements to the crisis management capability.
Independent global risk consulting group Control Risks has been
engaged by Horticulture Innovation Australia (Hort Innovation) to
deliver a vegetable levy-funded R&D project Crisis Management
Awareness for the Australian Vegetable Industry (VG15016). This
project is assisting AUSVEG to enhance the vegetable industry’s
crisis management awareness and capability. The initiative
components include:
• A post-incident review of the AUSVEG response to a food safety
incident in February 2016.
• Updating the AUSVEG crisis management plan.
• Training and exercising the new members of the AUSVEG Crisis
Management Team.
• Organising a vegetable industry crisis management seminar.
KEY OBSERVATIONS
Several factors were taken into consideration when consulting
on this project. One observation was that vegetable growers
were not aware of the support that AUSVEG can provide during
emerging crises.
In light of this, regular, timely and effective collaboration
between AUSVEG, growers, distributors, retailers and relevant
government departments will be introduced to enhance the
industry’s response to events that hold the potential to negatively
impact the community and the vegetable industry.
In addition, risk awareness combined with proactive
identification, assessment and communication among vegetable
industry stakeholders is fundamental to reducing the severity and
duration of emerging crises. In most cases, contextual information
Some of Australasia’s leading horticultural organisations signed
historic Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with leading Dutch
research institutions and agribusinesses on 3 November 2016, in an
effort to increase collaboration among some of the world’s leading
horticultural producers.
The ceremony was attended by Their Majesties King Willem-
Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands at Cockatoo
Island, off the coast of Sydney. Horticulture Innovation Australia
(Hort Innovation) joined the University of Tasmania and Lincoln
University in the signing of an MoU with world-leading agricultural
institution Wageningen University of the Netherlands to mark the
new partnership developed through the creation of the Masterclass
in Horticultural Business.
The Masterclass in Horticultural Business is the first project of its
kind in Australia. Best described as a mini-MBA, the masterclass is
available to growers and people working in the supply chain looking
to take their business to the next level. Under this investment, up to
30 selected industry leaders each year will be exposed to a program
that focuses on global trends in agriculture and horticulture,
international business, innovation, value chains, governance and risk.
“Increasingly, Australian horticulture is attracting the eye of major
industry players around the world, which is in no small part due to
our reputation for delivering quality, clean produce, and our drive to
and lessons learned from industry impacts can be anonymously
collated and disseminated without negatively affecting commercial
interests or market competition.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
To ensure all vegetable growers are aware of the support and
resources available to them during emerging crisis events,
AUSVEG will increase communication with and engagement of
vegetable growers to promote awareness of their respective roles
and responsibilities in the event of an emerging incident or crisis
being identified.
AUSVEG will also look to establish a risk council comprising
vegetable industry stakeholders to promote collaboration and
maintain relationships and risk awareness across the industry.
In addition, the anonymous collection, collation and
dissemination of lessons learned from events managed by the
Crisis Management Team will be discussed with the wider
industry to enhance awareness and educate vegetable growers
on controls or appropriate response actions to take if the event
occurred again in the future.
Early notification and preparation are critical components to an
effective industry response and are essential for AUSVEG to activate
its crisis management plan. In the event of a potential or emerging
crisis, it is always best to be as prepared as possible.
continuously develop and innovate,” Hort Innovation Chief Executive
Officer John Lloyd said.
STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS
On the day of the historic MoU signing, AUSVEG and prominent
Dutch seed company Rijk Zwaan established a Strategic Partnership,
which will ensure the Australian vegetable industry can work more
closely with this major international vegetable seed production
organisation.
Rijk Zwaan is one of the world’s leading developers of vegetable
varieties, with its head office located in the Netherlands. Its seeds are
sold in more than 100 countries through 30 locally operating sales
subsidiaries and many distributors.
This agreement formalises a strong relationship between the
two companies and their respective industries, and AUSVEG looks
forward to ensuring this partnership delivers ongoing benefits to the
Australian vegetable industry.
This project, Crisis Management Awareness for the Australian Vegetable
Industry, has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using
the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.
Project Number: VG15016
INFO
If you are aware of a potential crisis, or are unsure of the
potential impact of an emerging incident, growers and industry
members are strongly encouraged to call the Crisis Hotline on
1300 855 170, or Crisis Management Teammembers on 03
9882 0277. This will allow AUSVEG to work with you to protect
your reputation and that of the industry. Calls to this number
will be answered 24/7 and immediate advice will be offered by
the call handler.
For more information, please visit or
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