December 2014

EnergySafety’s report into the pole failure that caused the Parkerville bushfire on January 12, released today, shows the private power pole failed because of rot and termites. The report follows the January 15 finding that the bushfire originated from the failure of a privately owned point-of-attachment pole (PA pole) at 180 Granite Road, Parkerville. When the pole toppled, it caused the customer’s submains cable to pull through the hole at the bottom of the main

Farmers planning the management of soil organic matter over summer for the 2015 growing season are encouraged to refer to a practical guide published by the Department of Agriculture and Food. ‘Managing Soil Organic Matter: A Practical Guide’ was developed to support the profitability and sustainability of the State’s broadacre cropping and pasture-based farms. Funding for the guide was provided by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Australian Government, via its Action

A specialised training program involving Western Australian veterinarians is helping build the State’s capacity to respond to emergency animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Veterinary officers from the Department of Agriculture and Food have taken part in a real-time training program run by EuFMD – a regional body of the European Commission for the Control of FMD. Department veterinary officers Kevin Hepworth, stationed in Geraldton, Rod Thompson (Moora), Ashley Jordan (Northam), Tom De Ridder

EnergySafety has issued a public warning about dangerous switches used in some solar systems installed between July 2013 and 10th October 2014. Director of Energy Safety Ken Bowron said today the switches formed part of solar photo-voltaic installations. “They are used to disconnect the current produced by solar panels so electricians can work safely on the electrical installation of a home or business,” Mr Bowron said.  “The switches listed below are faulty and the supplier

The Red Meat Advisory Council of Australia has issued a collective industry wide agreement to phase out all old versions of the Livestock Production Assurance National Vendor Declaration (LPA NVD) up to and including the 2012 version. The Western Australian Meat Marketing Co-operative (WAMMCO) supports the phasing out of old versions of the National Vendor Declaration and will implement the industry wide agreement from 1 February, 2015. If old versions of the LPA NVD are

The Animal Welfare Science Centre has launched the Sheep Welfare Survey in conjunction with the University of New England, Sheep CRC and Meat & Livestock Australia. The survey aims to establish what producers, industry experts, scientists and the general public consider to be important sheep welfare issues. The survey is also concerned with how well issues relating to the on-farm welfare of grazing sheep are managed in Australia. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is urging semi-rural property owners to take care when slashing paddocks, with a number of recent grass and bushfires caused by sparks from machinery. DFES Metropolitan Assistant Commissioner Brad Stringer said bushfires can start suddenly and spread very quickly, potentially putting lives and property under threat.   “In the last few weeks more than 10 bushfires have occurred in outer metropolitan areas, including Chidlow, Chittering, Bullsbrook and

WAFarmers has completed several submissions recently and is continuing to work on a number of others. WAFarmers recently made a submission to the Inquiry regarding the industry structures and systems governing the imposition of and disbursement of marketing and research and development (R&D) levies in the agricultural sector. To view our submission, click here. The regulation of genetically modified organisms is currently ensured by the State’s Gene Technology Act 2006. This Act reflects the provisions