A group of grocery stores in a remote far northwest region of South Australia will be allowed to work together to improve the supply of food under a ruling by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The Mai Wiru Stores Group, in the remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, will collectively negotiate terms and conditions with suppliers of essential grocery and supermarket items through a collective bargaining arrangement. Collective bargaining refers to two or... ...Read more »

Australia’s peak farming industry body, the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and multinational Australian-based Westpac bank have launched plans for a Blueprint for Australian Agriculture. The blueprint will allow Australia’s food producers to help map Australia’s role in global food production over the next 40 years. Launching the Blueprint at Parliament House, Canberra, NFF President Jock Laurie said, “This initiative provides the opportunity for industry stakeholders to highlight... ...Read more »

The Centre for Plant Functional Genomics has not applied to the Office of Gene Technology Regulator for a licence to research or trial salt tolerant rice. Yet the centre wildly claims that genetically manipulated (GM) rice ‘offers hope for the global food supply’.  ”Without an application to the regulator, this research can only test an idea in the most basic way and is decades away from any commercial application,” says Gene Ethics director Bob Phelps. “The reality... ...Read more »

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has launched a national program and competition offering growers a unique opportunity to visit some of the world’s leading grains research facilities. The program was made to recognise the achievements of the Australian grain-growing industry over last two decades, which includes improvements in farming practices, grain varieties, products and services that have positioned the nation’s growers at the forefront of global production. The... ...Read more »

One of the world’s most sophisticated plant research facilities – opened in Adelaide last week – is expected to make significant advances in international agricultural sustainability and deliver pronounced benefits to Australia’s agriculture and horticulture industries, according to researchers. Based at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus, the $30 million facility known as ‘The Plant Accelerator’ is the largest and most advanced public facility of... ...Read more »

Speaking at the English Farming and Food Partnership’s (EFFP) sixth annual conference, Siôn Roberts EFFP’s Chief Executive warned that, despite signs that the economy will improve next year, the “new normal” for consumers of food is one that will be more constrained than over the last two decades. “The evolution of food prices is a complicated picture but one that will shape the food chain’s future dynamics. We’ve moved out of a period of over 20 years where... ...Read more »

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary in the UK, Hilary Benn, has proclaimed a need to change the way food is produced and processed so that we continue to enjoy healthy affordable food in the decades ahead. The assessment, as part of a look into the future of food by 2030, shows that sustainability of foodsupply is the main challenge facing the world. In particular, the report advises of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to a changing climate that will affect what... ...Read more »

Tasmania is well on the way to becoming the food bowl of the nation, according to the state’s Premier – David Bartlett. Mr Bartlett said the Apple Isle was intent on using their resources more efficiently to capitalise on some of the advantages the state has for producing food. This will see the pledge of more water to boost food reserves. “In order to achieve our strategy to make Tasmania the food bowl of the nation today I commit to a bold new goal – we will deliver more... ...Read more »

Less than one in ten adults in Victoria reaches the recommended daily intake of vegetables, a statistic that VicHealth is hoping to change with new research programs into the state’s food supply. The funding for research into Victoria’s food supply is part of a package of new projects to tackle some of the key health issues facing the state. “These research grants focus on the big drivers of poor health including alcohol, physical inactivity, discrimination, violence, health inequalities,... ...Read more »

A new report released last week has shone the spotlight on food production as the food needs of the global population are expected to soar by around 50 per cent in the next 40 years.The report, produced by Deutsche Bank, one of the world’s leading global investment banks, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, recommended a framework for investing in sustainable agriculture against a backdrop of massive population growth... ...Read more »