A report released today by the Queensland Government predicts the State’s milk production will fall by 5 per cent for the year 2011/12. The report attributes the impacts of natural disaster recovery and the supermarket ‘milk war’ to estimated low production levels. According to the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) report, the gross value of milk production in the State of Queensland for 2011-12 is forecast at A$229 million, 5% lower than the final estimate... ...Read more »

The Australian Government claims that Australia has pushed to the forefront of the environmental movement this week by passing the historically momentous Clean Energy Bill, popularly dubbed the “carbon tax”. The Australian Labour Party government, in alliance with the Greens and Independents, mustered the numbers to pass the legislation through the lower house of Federal Parliament. The Australian Labor Party won the vote on the 18 carbon tax bills 74 to 72. The Clean Energy Bill will... ...Read more »

Unilever has released a statement encouraging political leaders to take “ambitious steps” to tackle climate change, and rejecting media suggestions that it will oppose the Government’s carbon tax. “Climate change is likely to have a growing impact on our business and we are planning ahead and reshaping our business on the assumption that we will be operating in an environment where there is a price on carbon,” said a release from the company. “Media reports questioning... ...Read more »

The UK food industry has cautiously welcomed the British Government’s fourth “carbon budget” but maintained that meeting goals to cut emissions must not put the country at a competitive disadvantage globally.UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has committed the Government to halving greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels for the period 2023-2027. This is ahead of EU targets to reduce emissions by 20% from 1990 levels by 2020 and the UK is among some European countries calling for... ...Read more »

Global consumer goods company Unilever today announced plans to decouple future growth from environmental impact. At the London launch of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan, CEO Paul Polman explained: “We have ambitious plans to grow the company. But growth at any price is not viable. We have to develop new ways of doing business which will ensure that our growth does not come at the expense of the world’s diminishing natural resources.” He also announced plans to help over 1 billion people... ...Read more »

UK supermarket chain Tesco has sent a letter to its major suppliers asking them to reduce their carbon footprint by 30% before 2020. Speaking at the IGD’s annual convention on Tuesday, Tesco’s commercial and marketing director Richard Brasher said that the retailer would not enforce the reductions. However, he added: “Those who produce green products will be rewarded”. On collaboration in the grocery sector, Brasher, who will become the chief executive of Tesco’s UK... ...Read more »

* Australia’s beef industry has consistently reduced emissions intensity for producing beef since 1990 * Continued R&D aims to find ways to further reduce emissions while increasing productivity Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) this week announced that the Australian beef industry has achieved a 6.5% reduction in emissions per kilogram of beef produced since Kyoto protocol reporting began in 1990 . The announcement came at an environment debate titled ‘Can Red Meat Be Green?’... ...Read more »

Australia’s emissions reduction policy must maintain the competitiveness of Australian export and import-competing industries – such as food and grocery – without exposing them to costs their competitors don’t face, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) said on Friday.Responding to Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s announcement on climate change, AFGC agreed with a national consultative approach to emissions reduction that does not give any country an unfair competitive... ...Read more »

The NSW Government will today host a roundtable discussion on the opportunities and risks for businesses in moving to a low-carbon economy, Minister for State Development Ian Macdonald said. Mr Macdonald said up to 30 people are expecting to attend the round table in Sydney to hear from Dr David Vincent, the UK Carbon Trust’s Director of Projects. “The Carbon Trust, a not-for-profit company set up by the UK government in 2001, is a leader in helping businesses prepare for a low-carbon... ...Read more »

Unilever and Coca-Cola Co. have joined forces to launch a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the global consumer goods industry.The two giant firms hope to change the behaviour of customers and suppliers with the guide, which has been launched as businesses urged governments to provide a lead on controlling greenhouse gases at this week’s UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. The consumer goods initiative – ‘Moving Fast to a Cleaner Climate: A manager’s guide... ...Read more »