April 2017

The State Government today announced massive public sector reform, with 40 per cent of existing government departments to be amalgamated. Under the reform, the new Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development will incorporate the Departments of Agriculture and Food WA, Regional Development and Fisheries, and Regional Development Commissions. WAFarmers President Tony York said the reform was a more streamlined approach, despite the seemingly increased size and responsibility of departments. “During their election campaign, WA

Today is World Day for Safety and Health at Work, so we wanted to share a few workplace fatality statistics with you: 195 workers died in 2015 187 (96 per cent) of fatalities were men One quarter of fatalities were from a vehicle collision in 2015 Agriculture, forestry and fishing have the highest fatality rate – 16.7 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2015 Almost 50 per cent of fatalities were in two industries: transport, postal

Despite starting out in life on a mixed sheep and cropping farm, WA Young Achiever Awards Agriculture Award finalist Nicholas Hardie did not immediately pursue an agricultural pathway. Boddington local Nicholas (20) said while he did not fully understand at the time how much of an impact growing up on a farm had on him, it really was the start of a love and passion for agriculture as, after spending two years boarding in Perth

WA Young Achiever Awards Agriculture Award finalist Katrina Sasse is a passionate advocate for female farmers, particularly farmers’ daughters. A 2017 Nuffield Scholarship winner, Katrina (29) received the award to investigate how daughters of farmers can become farmers in their own right or be actively involved in decision making in family farm business succession planning. “As a growers daughter I have been part of the family business since an early age and have returned to

The annual celebration of all things honey will kick off in two weeks as part of Honey Month, with the Honey Festival being one of the first events throughout May to promote the importance of Australian honeybees and their products. The Honey Festival will take place at The House of Honey in Herne Hill on Sunday 7 May, and is expected to attract more than 3,000 visitors. WAFarmers Bees Section President Leilani Leyland said the

WAFarmers congratulates Ulla Crossley, who was the recipient of the $5,000 WAFarmers Scholarship at the Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management Graduation Presentation Ceremony last night. Ms Crossley (22), who is in her second year of the degree run by Charles Sturt University through Muresk Institute, said being the recipient meant a great deal and would relieve some of the financial challenges associated university life. “I will use the scholarship to take pressure off sourcing funds

WAFarmers remains confident about the future of agriculture for Western Australia following the organisation’s first meeting with new Minister for Agriculture and Food Alannah MacTiernan. Meeting for the first time yesterday afternoon since the Minister’s appointment, WAFarmers President Tony York, who attended the meeting with Senior Vice President Lyn Slade and Executive Officer – Policy (General) Grady Powell, said the Minister was very receptive to discussions. The Hon. Darren West MLC, Parliamentary Secretary to the

WAFarmers has welcomed the recent decision by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to allow growers continued access to dimethoate for early season application only. The regulatory decision on the reconsideration of the active constituent omethoate was part of a review of a number of actives by APVMA. Following consultation with Grain Producers Australia, WAFarmers sent a submission to the APVMA on the proposed regulatory decision on 27 January, which was referenced on

The first-ever Australian Beef Sustainability Framework report has been released by the Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC), and welcomed by industry. The framework, released last week and developed following consultation between the RMAC’s Sustainability Steering Group industry and the wider community, was created to meet the changing expectations of customers and stakeholders by defining what sustainable beef production means in Australian production systems. Twenty-three priority areas were identified in the framework in the areas of