The week’s top stories (week ending 30/10/18)
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:
- [Melbourne] city fringe land to remain green as minister rejects $15m market plan (Clay Lucas, The Age)
- Coalition to redirect $3.9bn into Drought Future Fund for ‘non-rainy days’ (Paul Karp, The Guardian)
- Victorian farmers get $25m drought support package to help boost preparedness (Warwick Long, Victorian Country Hour)
- Progress, but still no agreement on national drought policy (Mike Foley, Queensland Country Life)
- Soaking up Australia’s drought (Winsome Denyer, Australian Story)
- Corn demand booms for WA’s emerging industry as drought hits eastern farmers (Jon Daly, ABC Rural)
- Almond orchards give bees weakened by drought a vital boost during pollination season (Cherie von Hörchner, ABC Rural)
- Rain-predicting cactus flower may be pretty but it’s a pest (Megan Hendry and Jacquie Mackay, ABC Capricornia)
- Strategic water reserve plan for Queensland (Jessica Johnston, North Queensland Register)
- Australian drought could hit NT pockets (John Rolfe, NT News)
- Farmers’ Federation president could run against Barnaby Joyce in New England (Samantha Maiden, The New Daily)
- A third of Australia’s foreign workers paid less than half minimum wage – study (Melissa Davey, The Guardian)
- Farmer’s role in a truck driver’s safety set to be tested (Alexandra Laskie, The Weekly Times)
- David Littleproud warns royal commission into farm sector would not be limited to dairy (Sid Maher, The Australian)
- Strengthening agricultural traceability mustn’t cost farmers (David Thomson, Growcom)
- Victoria’s biggest solar farm under construction amid debate over lost agricultural land (Simon Galletta and Matt Tribe, ABC Mildura-Swan Hill)
- What to look for when picking fruit and vegetables at the supermarket (Carol Rääbus, ABC Life)
- Eat more vegetables: The big diet change Australians need to make (Sam Downing, 9 News)
- The fascinating origins of 14 popular vegetables (Janaki Jitchotvisut, Business Insider Australia)
- Sweetpotatoes push for table space (Ashley Walmsley, Good Fruit & Vegetables)
- Blampied entrepreneur makes pretty pink vegetable muesli, sells products at farmer’s markets (Hayley Elg, The Advocate)
- ‘Hush hush’ plan that could stop self-serve checkout theft (Benedict Brook, Sunshine Coast Daily)
- Agricultural scientists team up with global food brands to target allergen-free food market (Jon Daly and Courtney Fowler, ABC News)
International news:
- Global: Potato spoons, pipe bots and mini wind turbines on Dyson awards list (Rebecca Smithers, The Guardian)
- USA: Amazon just opened its newest cashier-less store in San Francisco – take a look inside (Nick Bastone and Katie Canales, Business Insider Australia)
- USA: Fresh Summit makes major donation (Carl Collen, Americafruit)
- USA: A formal apprenticeship for vegetable farmers… at last! (Melissa Cipollone, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture)
- USA: World Wildlife Fund releases report investigating post-harvest losses in potatoes and Romaine lettuce
- UK: MPs back organic amendment to Agri Bill (Ed Leahy, Fresh Produce Journal)
- Europe: Convenience is king at Anecoop (Maura Maxwell, Eurofruit)
- Europe: European scientists unite to safeguard precision breeding for sustainable agriculture (VIB)
- Europe: Europe to protect small producers from large supermarkets (Hortidaily)
- Europe: Rijk Zwaan continues R&D push (Carl Collen, Eurofruit)
- Europe: Horticulture tops EU productivity gains (Ed Leahy, Fresh produce Journal)
- New Zealand: Horticulture drives NZ export rise (Matthew Jones, Produce Plus)
This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 30 October 2018. Subscribe to the Update using our online form to receive the latest industry news in your inbox every week!