By WAFarmers President Tony York As a farmer and, in particular, a sheep producer, I have a keen interest in the story aired on 60 Minutes on the weekend on the live sheep trade. A sense of dismay overwhelmed me upon my initial viewing, and what followed were feelings of being misled. Given the constant assurance producers and industry receive that livestock are being humanely treated on live export vessels, this vision was deeply disturbing.

WAFarmers has supported the announcement from Federal Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud MP for a swift review into the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock. Announced this afternoon, the review will occur in the next four weeks and will consider live export into northern hemisphere summer conditions. The review will be headed by Michael McCarthy from Global Livestock Solutions, and has been announced as a result of the footage aired on 60 Minutes over

The WAFarmers Beekeepers Section has extended its support to the Australian Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) by becoming an associate member. The AMHA was created to advocate and foster growth of the Manuka industry within Australia and protect the right of the industry to continue to use the term Manuka in light of the unexpected litigation emanating from New Zealand. At present the AHMA are engaged in defending an attempt by New Zealand which is trying

By WAFarmers President Tony York There is a pathway for the State Government to lead us from its controversial and unpopular education cuts impacting student and families in the regions. It is in the best interest of the state and Perth to encourage population growth in the regions. Not only will this offer a greater range of amenities in the bush to service those already living there, it will also attract new people to regional

A change in the definition of lamb has been officially endorsed by Sheepmeat Council of Australia (now known as Sheep Producers Australia), following significant industry feedback, with WAFarmers applauding the decision. There was wide industry support for the change, with 83 per cent of respondents voting in favour during the nine-week national consultation period. Once the new definition is adopted, a lamb will be classified as ‘young sheep under 12 months of age or which

The agricultural industry has been discussing Agricultural Pilots since Main Roads announced the exemption within the Western Australian Gazette on November 28.   The six metre limit in width has created angst within the agricultural community, as many of the seeding bars currently operating across WA do not fit within the parameters of the exemption. The current system leads to confusion about the processes required to legally move any machinery above six metres.   WAFarmers wishes to collate

WAFarmers has welcomed the announcement from Brownes Dairy that it will revive the old Brunswick cheese factory in order to produce 6,000 tonnes of cheese annually. The $10 million investment will see manufacturing capacities developed at the south west facility, with a small percentage of the cheese will be available for purchase in WA and the rest to be exported to China as early as this spring. Brownes Managing Director Tony Girgis said approximately 15

The recent roundtable meeting regarding the replacement of the Boyanup saleyards has been hailed as ‘constructive’ by WAFarmers. WAFarmers Livestock President David Slade attended the meeting organised by Minister for Agriculture Alannah MacTiernan, which involved a wide range of industry stakeholders. “Having heard a number of proposals for consideration, WAFarmers continues to be opposed to the sale of the Muchea saleyards, but remains open to exploring a range of options including the leasing of Muchea

Six individuals were recognised at tonight’s WAFarmers Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony for their service and dedication to WAFarmers and the state’s agricultural sector. WAFarmers President Tony York said all recipients had demonstrated outstanding commitment towards the development of the state’s agricultural industries. “The six individuals acknowledged tonight were nominated by their communities for their contribution, passion and dedication to WAFarmers and the agricultural industry at large,” Mr York said.   “The Gala Dinner and