Seafood is potentially likely to become a luxury that many Australians cannot afford, according to principal research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) Dr Mike Hall. According to a statement attributed to Dr Hall in the Weekend Australian this week, Australia will face a seafood supply shortage in twenty years if overseas demand for seafood continues to grow. Currently, Australians consume about 422,000 metric tonnes of seafood each year according to Dr Hall, but more... ...Read more »

Improved seasonal conditions throughout much of Australia this year are expected to help producers rebuild cattle numbers to expand future beef production, according to a new report, Australian beef: Financial performance of beef cattle producing farms, 2007-08 to 2009-10, released by ABARE on Tuesday. While herds are rebuilt, sales will be reduced, with farm cash incomes expected to fall by 18% to $66,000 per farm in northern Australia, and almost 50% to $31,700 per farm in southern Australia. “The... ...Read more »

ABARE, Australia’s leading commodity research group, has disputed the widely held belief that local food is better for the environment, labelling food miles as a “misleading indicator” that could in fact increase carbon emissions. The term food miles has been bandied around a lot in the press over recent years and has led to a steady increase in consumer demand for locally grown produce. However, despite consumers demanding more local food, research has also suggested that most... ...Read more »

Winter wheat and barley crop production is likely to be higher this year despite recent rains ensuring the harvest will not quite meet expectations. Current summer cropping, however, is weaker than last year, with total wheat planting area forecast to decline by nine per cent. “A lack of rainfall over the summer cropping regions in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland has resulted in little grain sorghum planting so far,” said Dr Terry Sheales, Deputy Executive Director, ABARE,... ...Read more »

A new report highlighting that Australia’s food and grocery industry continues to grow despite the global financial crisis has been welcomed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke released the findings on Friday in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s Australian Food Statistics 2008 report. The report showed the industry supported 14,000 new jobs in 2007-08, with the strongest long-term growth in... ...Read more »

There is optimism regarding winter crop planting and production because of recent rains across the Australian grains belt, according to ABARE’s June issue of the Australian crop report.”Rainfall in late May and early June was timely for those winter crops that had already been sown and provided an opportunity for remaining planting intentions to be realised,” Phillip Glyde, Executive Director of ABARE, said upon releasing the report. The area sown to winter crops in Australia is... ...Read more »

World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy is coming to Australia for the 2009 ABARE Outlook conference, a decision that highlights the importance of Australia’s role in the future of global food security, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke announced yesterday. Mr Burke said the conference – held March 3-4 – would be a good opportunity to discuss global trade issues. “This visit from the head of the WTO is further recognition of the importance... ...Read more »

Australia can play an important role in meeting Malaysia’s food consumption and demand for food processing inputs, according to a new ABARE report.The report, ‘Changing food consumption and imports in Malaysia: Opportunities for Australian agricultural exports’ was released today by Phillip Glyde, Executive Director of ABARE. “With continued income and population growth, Malaysian food consumption is shifting away from starchy staples such as rice and cassava and more toward... ...Read more »

International and local dairy experts have warned that dairy farmers must be rewarded for developing and implementing sustainability initiatives if the industry is to overcome the challenges of climate change.The advice comes from dairy industry leaders who attended a forum hosted by the NSW Dairy Industry Conference and Milk Marketing NSW earlier this month in Sydney, where a commitment was made to the development of a ‘Climate Change Road Map’, modeled on UK and USA examples. Mr George... ...Read more »

Australian wine grape production is forecast to increase by 19 per cent to 1.67 million tonnes in 2007-08, as a result of improved growing conditions in key production areas, according to a new ABARE report – ‘Australian Wine Grape Production Projections to 2009-10′. “Forecast production in 2007-08 is higher than early-season estimates because of greater than expected resilience of vines suffering from drought stress, and water purchasing by growers in drought-affected... ...Read more »