Victoria is Australia’s leading agricultural exporter, according to its Department of Primary Industries report released this week for the 12 months financial year ending 30 June 2011. Over the 12 months period ending 30 June 2011, Victoria accounted for 28 per cent of Australia’s total food and fibre exports, while Victorian food exports were valued at AUD $6.3 billion, an increase of AUD $839 million (15 per cent) from the previous financial year. This financial year saw export increases in... ...Read more »

Citrus Australia is testing a new system of quarantine inspection as the Federal Government moves the industry to ‘user pays’ for Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). Under the trial, the industry will pay for AQIS authorized officers (AAOs) to manage and perform inspection functions.   Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig has welcomed the initiative. Senator Ludwig said the government is taking measures to ensure that “all AAOs who inspect... ...Read more »

The public has only been given a month to comment on an issues paper guiding the formation of a much-needed national food plan – a period which is inadequate and must be extended, according to advocacy group the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance (SFFA). The Alliance, a network which describes itself as “advocating for a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable food system in the Sydney region and beyond”, said it will be making a submission by the August 5 deadline but says... ...Read more »

The E. coli outbreaks in Germany and France could have come from seeds sourced in Egypt, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said.The ECDC said that fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 and/or 2010 have been implicated in both outbreaks. However, it added on Wednesday (29 June) that there is “still much uncertainty about whether this truly is the common cause of all the infections as there are currently no positive bacteriological results”. The ECDC said... ...Read more »

Health officials are investigating a fresh outbreak of E. coli in France, with a possible link to UK seed firm Thompson and Morgan. The UK firm has suspended internet sales of its rocket and mustard vegetable sprouts after ten people were affected by E. coli in Bordeaux. The recent E. coli outbreak in Germany, one of the largest the world has seen, killed dozens and sickened thousands. The outbreak was attributed to contaminated beansprouts. This latest outbreak is currently being investigated by... ...Read more »

Queensland Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Economies Tim Mulherin today launched a food policy for Queensland to further build the state’s multi-billion dollar food industry. “As part of the 2011-12 State Budget, the Queensland Government has made an initial allocation of $2 million to support initiatives related to the policy,” Minister Mulherin said. “With Queensland’s food value chain worth $18.7 billion to the state economy and a workforce of around 267,000, it’s critical... ...Read more »

The number of people killed by the E. coli outbreak in Germany has risen to 35 – although officials have claimed that the number of new cases of illness is showing signs of falling. The Robert Koch Institute said today yesterday that 35 people had died from either the EHEC O104:H4 E. coli strain or the HUS syndrome that, in some cases, has led from the contamination. A further 3,228 have fallen ill from the outbreak, which the Institute believes is linked to contaminated bean sprouts from a... ...Read more »

Scientists have said that the E.coli serotype that has caused a series of deaths and thousands of illnesses across Europe is a new “super-toxic” E.coli strain resistant to antibiotic treatment.The Beijing Genomics Institute said last week that the O104 E.coli strain has not been involved in any previous E.coli outbreaks and that it has several antibiotic resistance genes, making antibiotic treatment difficult. Meanwhile, a study by the Institute of Hygiene at the University Hospital Munster... ...Read more »

The deadly European E.Coli outbreak began in Hamburg and has spread its way across Europe. With news on this serious issue moving quickly, here’s a timeline of what’s happened so far. 26 May 2011 – GERMANY: E.coli linked to Spanish cucumbers The European Commission notifies its member states that organic cucumbers from two locations in Spain are the source of the E.Coli outbreak affecting Germany and four other EU countries. The Commission says the outbreak is responsible for two... ...Read more »

Germany’s national disease centre confirmed yesterday that it does not know the source of a E.coli outbreak that has lead to a number of deaths across Europe.It was initially thought that the contamination came from cucumbers that had been imported from Spain. Until yesterday, the European Commission suspected that the outbreak was due to fresh cucumbers that had come from Almeria and Malaga. There has also been a third suspect batch originating in either the Netherlands or Denmark that were... ...Read more »