The week’s top stories (week ending 23/10/18)
Every week, AUSVEG rounds up the top stories on issues affecting the Australian vegetable industry. Here are this week’s most important news items:
Australian industry:
- PM says ag visa not off the table as solution to labour shortages (Natalie Kotsios, The Weekly Times)
- PM Scott Morrison’s rural worker plan is simplistic rubbish (Ed Gannon, The Weekly Times)
- Cathy McGowan warns Nationals against dumping Michael McCormack (Phillip Coorey, Australian Financial Review)
- Wentworth by-election: Coalition MPs confident of stemming bleeding after defeat (Melissa Clarke, ABC News)
- NFF targets $100b farm gate output by 2030 despite headwinds (Ronald Mizen, Australian Financial Review)
- David Littleproud says ambitious agenda can succeed amid challenges (Kim Chappell and Mike Foley, North Queensland Register)
- Helping farmers in distress doesn’t help them be the best: the drought relief dilemma (Neal Hughes and Steve Hatfield-Dodds, The Conversation)
- Drought donations feared missing (Sue Neales, The Australian)
- Farmers demand more action as Melbourne rain fails to reach drought ravaged parts of the state (Tom Minear, Herald Sun)
- ‘Food terrorism’ and other possible culprits behind the strawberry contamination scare (Hagar Cohen and David Lewis, ABC News)
- Organic mushrooms bring young farmer into the spotlight (Sue Neales, The Australian)
- Cream of the crop [Profile of NFF President Fiona Simson] (Kate Legge, The Australian)
- Advocacy groups work together to support horticulture in Far North Queensland (Good Fruit & Vegetables)
- Eating more organic food may reduce your risk of cancer: study (Yasmin Noone, SBS Food)
- Demand for organic food prompts Woolworths to launch $30 million fund (Alexandra Laskie, The Weekly Times)
- Herbicide attack strikes at heart of organic farmer (Lachlan Mcivor, The Daily Examiner)
- High petrol prices may push up the cost of fresh food for consumers (Nikolai Beilharz, Victorian Country Hour)
- Fruit fly monitoring goes high tech with $1.25M injection to CSIRO’s RapidAIM (North Queensland Register)
- Gardeners warned to take action as invasive wasp silently destroys Perth citrus trees (Joanna Prendergast, ABC Rural)
- China’s expanding middle class targeted by Australian quality food exporters (Jon Daly, Belinda Varischetti and Richard Hudson, WA Country Hour)
- CWA highlight importance of local fruit and vegetables (Roger Hanson, Tasmanian Country)
International news:
- Global: Reverse innovation brings new intelligence to food chain pest management (Hortidaily)
- USA: Tech top of industry agenda (Carl Collen, Fruitnet)
- USA: Commercial launch of new botanical fungicide (Hortidaily)
- USA: New project supports disabled agricultural workers (University of Alaska Fairbanks)
- USA: California greens grower debuting new packaging innovation (Hortidaily)
- USA: Hurricane Michael deals $480 million blow to Georgia’s vegetable farmers (Merritt Melancon, University of Georgia)
- The Netherlands: Dutch horticulture can help China with safe and clean food production (Hortidaily)
- The Netherlands: Great development potential for Chicarita novelty lettuce (Hortidaily)
This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 23 October 2018. Subscribe to the Update using our online form to receive the latest industry news in your inbox every week!