The week’s top stories (week ending 12/03/19)
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:
- Vegetable consumption stagnant for six years (Ashley Walmsley, North Queensland Register)
- Labour visa shift to help farmers (Rob Harris, Herald Sun)
- Regional visa program extended, but farmers unimpressed and say agricultural visa needed (Kath Sullivan, ABC Rural)
- Specific farm visa too narrow: minister (AAP/SBS News)
- Australian farmers’ reliance on illegal labour as exploitation is readily accepted, report says (Kath Sullivan and Bridget Fitzgerald, ABC Rural)
- Border Force crackdown on illegal foreign workers leaves Victorian farmers struggling to find pickers (Jess Davis, Victoria Country Hour)
- AWU takes aim at Growcom over horticulture enterprise agreements (Ash Walmsley, Good Fruit & Vegetables)
- Drought aid: Gippsland farmers can access water rebates of up to $25k (Peter Hunt, The Weekly Times)
- Drought aid: Gippsland farmers furious about eligibility criteria (Peter Hunt, The Weekly Times)
- State of the drought shows dams empty and NSW drowning in dust (Kate Doyle, ABC Weather)
- Drought wipes billions from Australian farm production (Kath Sullivan, ABC Rural)
- Regenerative agriculture finds solid backing as decades of success show renewal (David Claughton and Olivia Ralph, NSW Country Hour)
- ABARES conference: Reality check on $100 billion industry target (Nicola Bell, The Weekly Times)
- Potato farmers need McCain’s investment to increase demand and raise prices (Rebecca Morris, The Advocate)
- Indonesian vice-presidential challenger wants changes to Australian free trade deal (David Lipson, ABC AM)
- Veganism becomes more mainstream — but don’t mention the ‘V’ word (Marty McCarthy, ABC News)
- Masterchef Australia 2019 highlights Queensland produce (Victoria Nugent, Good Fruit & Vegetables)
- Tasmanian vegetable demand increases on mainland (Karolin MacGregor, Tasmanian Country)
- Simplot’s Aussie-grown frozen vegies now in hot demand (Sue Neales, The Australian)
International news:
- Italy: “Prevention is the best defence for ToBRFV” (HortiDaily)
- Spain: Spain’s ‘Sea of Plastic’: Where Europe gets its produce, migrants get exploited (Andreane Williams and Nico Swanepoel, Deutsche Welle)
- Spain: Women workers welcome court ruling (Maura Maxwell, Eurofruit)
- New Zealand: Rockit shows sustainable side (Camellia Aebischer, Asiafruit)
This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 12 March 2019. Subscribe to the Update using our online form to receive the latest industry news in your inbox every week!