October 2017

In the wake of the ‘Citizenship Seven’ saga which saw Barnaby Joyce removed from his portfolio and his position as Deputy Prime Minister, along with four other Parliamentarians, WAFarmers wishes to reaffirm our intention to continue to work cooperatively with the Federal Government on issues important to our members. Having been brought up on a farm in New South Wales and worked within the industry before entering politics, Mr Joyce has been a staunch advocate

In early September, WAFarmers reported on our Countryman page about a meeting held involving WAFarmers President Tony York, Policy Executive Officers Kim Haywood and Shannen Barrett, WAFarmers Member Brad Mills (Brookton) and representatives from the WA Police regarding road safety after a traffic accident and communications to landowners. During the meeting, all parties involved discussed concerns around recent traffic crashes which were attended by police but did not include communications to landowners when fencing was

The WAFarmers team has been out and about recently, with staff having attended the Perth Hills Festival in Karragullen and the Goldfields Nullarbor Rangelands Biosecurity Association (GNRBA) Conference in Kalgoorlie. Sharing space in a marquee with Perth NRM, hills producers, industry groups, WAFarmers enjoyed the opportunity to get in front of over 5,000 attendees, which included both members and non-members in the area. While the event was predominantly directed towards orchardists and people in the

The Grazier’s Investment Company (GIC) will be wound-up and remaining capital distributed amongst original shareholders, following a vote at the company’s general meeting last week. An overwhelming 99.7 per cent of eligible shareholders voted in favour of winding-up the company and appointing liquidators, with only 75 per cent or more needed to pass. WAFarmers Livestock Executive Officer Kim Haywood said it was a landmark decision which marked the end of a long battle by industry.

With many peak bodies holding their Annual General Meetings in the coming weeks and nominations being open for a number of Board positions, WAFarmers is keen to hear members’ thoughts on the ability of a Chairperson to access voting data from independent providers while the election process is ongoing.   WAFarmers Livestock Section Vice President Steve McGuire, who is also the WAFarmers Wool Producers Australia Director, questioned whether a Chairperson should be able to access this

The importance of mental health and supporting one another is being recognised today as part of World Mental Health Day, with WAFarmers encouraging people to take care of each other now more than ever. “It is so important that people working in the agricultural industry look out for each other and actively support anyone who is doing it tough,” said WAFarmers Senior Vice President Lyn Slade, who farms with her husband David in Mount Barker.

Are you experiencing an unnaturally high level of sub clover dying in your region? While the season has played a part in this, a number of members in the Avon Zone have reported the death of sub clover on their properties well after recent good rains, with established plants continuing to die and newly germinating plants turning red and dying. A public Facebook group has been created to encourage discussion on this issue called ‘dying