January 2014

WAFarmers representatives have met with Shadow Federal Agriculture Minister Joel Fitzgibbon during his visit to Western Australia this week to discuss issues of importance to the State’s agriculture industry. Mr Fitzgibbon’s visit was extremely appreciated and emphasised the fact that Western Australia was yet to receive a visit from Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, WAFarmers President Dale Park said. “Our discussions with Mr Fitzgibbon have been very fruitful and his visit reflects a genuine interest

Seedvise, acting on behalf of a number of Royalty Managers, has lodged an application with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding fees paid to grain traders who collect and remit End Point Royalties (EPR) on behalf of grain producers.  In the current system, the EPR Steering Committee, which acts on behalf of Royalty Managers, negotiates separately with grain traders regarding the EPR Collection fee for the collection and remittance of EPR’s.  The request

The WAFarmers Grains Council is strongly urging all members who are CBH Group shareholders in District 1 to exercise their voting rights in the upcoming CBH Director elections.  This election will see the incumbent, Mingenew grower Clancy Michael stand against Morawa grower Rodd Madden.  As a standard practice, the Grains Council will not be endorsing a specific candidate but instead asks that members make voting a priority and make an informed decision when doing so. 

 On February 11 Dairy Executive Officer Stephanie Tarlinton, along with Dairy Councillors, will be attending the WA Dairy Industry Strategic Planning meeting in Bunbury hosted by Western Dairy. The day will be focused on preparing a document which will guide the strategy for Western Dairy’s continued investment in the WA dairy sector. WAFarmers Dairy Council works closely with Western Dairy on many issues and welcomes the opportunity to be involved in this process. The meeting

Regional managers for Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) will be meeting in Sydney in April.  This means MLA representatives with extensive local knowledge from Japan, Korea, EU/Russia, North America, Middle East and North Africa, South East Asia and Indonesia will be in the one place and we see this as a great opportunity to put forward questions you may have of those managers about specific markets, market conditions, trends, and opportunities.  If you have a

A reminder to producers when purchasing sheep and cattle that it is up to the buyer to request a National Health Statement (NHS).  NHS are available for sheep and cattle but they are not mandatory in Western Australia. However, they are one of the best tools available for a biosecurity risk assessment whenever new stock are introduced onto your property.  Questions on the NHS include history relating to OJD vaccination and testing, footrot, lice and

WAFarmers has been involved in the development of the National Wild Dog Action Plan through peak wool industry body, WoolProducers Australia. The final draft of the plan has received much needed support from various stakeholders. The draft awaits approval from the Project Steering Committee which will then allow the action plan to proceed through the various government stages. WAFarmers will be meeting with Minister for Agriculture and Food Ken Baston in the near future to

WAFarmers has made a submission to the Securing Western Australia’s water future position paper – reforming water resource management. WAFarmers has welcomed the proposed changes to ensure that water, as a resource, will be available for primary producers; that the community is engaged in and understands the process used for water allocation and monitoring; and that there will be greater engagement with water users. WAFarmers welcomes the announcement that there will be an increase in

WAFarmers Wool Section has been asked to provide comment on the upcoming Wool Industry Meeting to review the Minimum and Maximum Wool Bale Weights. The Australian Council of Wool Exporters and Processors Inc and Private Treaty Merchants of Australia Inc have expressed concern about issues associated with lighter weight bales at their respective Annual General Meetings in 2013. Members of both organizations were of the view that the minimum weight should be raised and recommended