February 2014

The Department of Agriculture & Food (DAFWA) have commissioned a team to help identify where industry is suffering from the ‘red tape’ and bureaucratic inefficiencies emanating from poor policy and practice that plagues the transport industry. Whilst WAFarmers has successfully worked on, and continues to work on identifying the ‘red tape’, and providing solutions for industry, feedback from individual farm families is useful to augment the issues that are identified through Zone meetings. WAFarmers has

It is still unclear whether WA will be eligible to access much of the $324 million allocated in the Federal Drought Support Scheme announcement. The existing Farm Finance Concessional Loans Scheme is not specific to a particular farming sector, region or reason for hardship. In contrast, the assistance available under the Drought Concessional Loans Scheme is targeted to those farm businesses that have limited or no short-term income as a direct result of drought conditions,

The WAFarmers Grains Council has written to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding fees paid to grain traders who collect and remit End Point Royalty (EPRs) on behalf of growers. In the correspondence to the ACCC the Council made the following points:  The arrangement whereby ‘collect and remit’ grain traders collect and remit the EPR on behalf of the grower is one which growers value as it decreases the administrative impost on them.

The WAFarmers Grains Council has not supported a proposal to amend the Agricultural Produce Commission (APC) Act of 1988 to provide the ability for broadacre cropping to form APC Producers’ Committees at this point in time.  While the Council acknowledges that the APC Act works well for small industries in specific circumstances, such as table grapes, the breadth and scope of the grains industry mean that the Act may not be suitable for broadacre cropping

Members are encouraged to register if they wish to attend the free Farmer Forum being co-ordinated by WAFarmers in Merredin on Friday March 14, 2014.  This Forum will be held in two parts with a farmer information briefing on biotechnology in the morning and a grower meeting with an expert panel in the afternoon. The meeting is open to non-members and is an attempt to gauge grower views on a number of issues before the

During August and September 2013, the Grains, Seeds and Hay Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) Management Committee undertook a survey of Scheme contributors to gauge the industry’s views on skeleton weed as a priority biosecurity issue to be addressed through the IFS.  Based on the results of this survey, the Management Committee has proposed to increase the Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS contribution rate to 35 cents per tonne of grain/seed and 17 cents per tonne

Are you close to Bullsbrook, Henley Brook or Gin Gin?  We have been contacted by a hardworking year 11 student who has experience with livestock who would like two days a week work experience (unpaid) for 10 weeks on a sheep or cattle property.  She is familiar with farm practices, is confident with horses and motorbikes and is very keen to create a future for herself in agriculture.  In return you get a genuinely enthusiastic

Megan Harrod from Livestock Biosecurity Network has provided some information about the impact of Foot and Mouth Disease and why everyone should remain vigilant. “I often get asked “why should I concern myself with FMD when diseases such as footrot or OJD are closer to home?” Firstly it’s a very valid and logical question and given it’s been about 140 years since FMD was seen in Australia it’s easy to understand how a degree of

WAFarmers welcomes the announcement that funding for the Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation (Sheep CRC) has been extended by the Department of Industry. In the interests of Western Australian sheep producers, WAFarmers had been lobbying the Federal government for the funding extension for the past 12 months, Wool Section President Ed Rogister said. “This issue has remained front and centre in our activities since highlighted at last year’s Annual General Meeting,” Mr Rogister

The Vasse Zone and WAFarmers Dairy Council have this week provided submissions into the Independent Review of the Current and Future Management of Water Assets in the Geographe Catchment, WA Discussion Document. The review is being conducted by Professor Barry Hart who has been engaged by the Western Australian Department of Water to undertake the review which is required to focus on governance structures and management priorities in three areas: Management of the Vasse-Wonnerup Ramsar