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The stage was set for the
Australian horticulture
industry’s biggest event, with
delegates making their way to
the Gold Coast’s RACV Royal
Pines for the 2016 National
Horticulture Convention.
For the first time, the event
was hosted by AUSVEG and
Apple and Pear Australia
Limited (APAL) alongside the
Central Markets Association
of Australia in partnership
with Fresh Markets Australia,
Growcom, Australian Organic,
Persimmons Australia and
Onions Australia. This
collaboration signified the
event was well on its way to
becoming a true National
Horticulture Convention, as
the nation’s vegetable and
potato growers took hold of the
opportunity to discuss industry
issues with their domestic and
international counterparts.
During the Welcome
Reception, former AFL footballer
and Master of Ceremonies Peter
Daicos introduced Federal Trade
and Investment Minister Steven
Ciobo MP, who discussed the
important role of Australian
agriculture into the future. The
welcome ribbon was then cut,
marking the official opening of
the 2016 Trade Show.
With more than 100 industry
booths on display, there would
certainly be plenty to talk about
over the coming days.
Friday began with an outdoor
breakfast, where Syngenta
Head of Speciality Crops Bob
Mullins spoke about Tervigo
insecticide, which can be used
to effectively control Root-knot
nematodes. This was followed
by entertainment from Linsey
Pollak, who captured the
crowd’s attention by making
and playing a variety of
home-made instruments,
including a carrot clarinet.
After breakfast, the first round
of speaker sessions kicked off
with Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission
(ACCC) Executive General
Manager of the Consumer,
Small Business and Product
Safety Division, Nigel Ridgeway,
who explained how the ACCC
will work with industry to
enforce new initiatives such
as clearer country of origin
labelling requirements.
Freshlogic Managing Director
Martin Kneebone then spoke
about the opportunities and
challenges of marketing
fresh fruit and vegetables to
compete in the $9 billion snack
food industry. He was followed
by Horticulture Innovation
Australia (Hort Innovation)
Marketing Manager Craig
Perring, who addressed the
audience on ‘The Secret Serve’
onion marketing campaign.
Peracto’s Chris Monsour
outlined the challenges of
insecticide resistance, as
well as the importance of
understanding chemical options
and developing a resistance
management strategy.
American journalist and
founder of the Genetic Literacy
Project Jon Entine also
captured the audience with
his thoughts on genetic
modification and precision
farming. His controversial
presentation also sparked
debate from the audience.
Growcom Chief Advocate
Rachel Mackenzie then brought
labour hire concerns to the
fore and advised growers to do
their research on labour hire
companies as well as be aware
of their own responsibilities.
The keynote speaker of the
2016 Convention was Dow
AgroSciences Managing
Director Rob Kaan. Mr
Kaan’s presentation outlined
behaviours that brought about
the demise of innovations in
different industries and echoed
Chris Monsour’s sentiments
about the industry’s response to
insecticide resistance.
Elders CEO Mark Allison
enlightened the audience with
a lively presentation on the
challenges of rebuilding the
agribusiness, while Australian
Taxation Office Assistant
Commissioner Scott Parkinson
spoke about ‘phoenix behaviour’
among labour hire companies.
Sundrop Farms Managing
Director Steve Marafiote and
Coles Head of Public Affairs
Simon Talbot also conducted
a Q&A session about the
partnership of their respective
companies following the
development of a commercial
tomato farm under greenhouses
in the South Australian desert.
Australian Organics Chair
Dr Andrew Monk gave an
explanation of the organic
certification process of products
and what to expect, before
Friday’s speaker sessions
wrapped up with a presentation
IT WAS YET ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING EVENT WHEN AUSVEG AND SIX INDUSTRY
BODIES JOINED FORCES TO CO-HOST THE 2016 NATIONAL HORTICULTURE CONVENTION
FROM 23-25 JUNE. MORE THAN 1,500 DELEGATES CONVERGED ON THE GOLD COAST’S
RACV ROYAL PINES FOR THREE EVENTFUL DAYS THAT INCLUDED NETWORKING, SPEAKER
SESSIONS AND RECOGNISING OUTSTANDING GROWERS AND INDUSTRY MEMBERS.
2016 National Horticulture Convention gives
growers and suppliers a chance to shine
Dow AgroSciences Managing Director Rob Kaan.
2016 Trade Show.