South Australian vegetable growers will have the opportunity to meet with leading industry figures, including representatives of Coles, AUSVEG and the Adelaide Produce Market, at an EnviroVeg workshop to be held in Virginia on Monday.

The free information session will be held at the Grow SA Virginia Horticultural Centre on Old Port Wakefield from 4:00pm Monday 23 January 2012 and features Ms Jackie Healing, Head of Quality, Policy and Governance for Coles supermarkets.
“In a must-see event, South Australian vegetable growers will be able to ask questions in a session chaired by Grow SA Chief Executive Officer Mike Redmond. The workshops are part of a push by AUSVEG to provide Australian vegetable growers with opportunities to interact with leading industry figures and researchers as part of the EnviroVeg Program,” said AUSVEG Environment Coordinator Jordan Brooke-Barnett.
”The information we provide in the workshop will assist growers to put in place a number of environmental initiatives on their properties,” he said.
“The EnviroVeg workshops build on the work that EnviroVeg has achieved to-date in helping Australian vegetable growers to improve environmental practices on-farm.”
“The Program provides growers with an easy-to-follow manual and self-assessment scheme which allows growers to track their progress from year to year.”
“Environmental performance is increasingly becoming more important for the Australian industry as consumers become more demanding about what they consume and this Program provides an excellent way for the Australian industry to show its strong track record of environmental performance.”
Other key speakers include representatives from leading agricultural service provider Elders, the Adelaide Produce Market and the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
South Australia growers will have the opportunity to hear about a number of important topics such as market trends, opportunities to improve labour supply through the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme as well as the benefits of the EnviroVeg Program.
“As vegetable growers are very busy on their properties, AUSVEG has brought the speakers to Virginia to ensure our South Australian growers can benefit from the opportunity to hear from these leading industry figures. I would strongly encourage all vegetable growers in the region to join us for this excellent opportunity to meet with industry leaders and meet their AUSVEG representatives,” said Mr Brooke-Barnett.
Further information: www.ausveg.com.au. The EnviroVeg Program is funded by HAL using the National Vegetable Levy and matched funds from the Australian Government.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jordan Brooke-Barnett, Environment Coordinator, AUSVEG Phone: (03) 9822 0388, Mobile: 0404 772 308, Email: jordan.brooke-barnett@ausveg.com.au