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 »

Australian researchers are hoping to produce new wheat varieties that contain higher levels of protein and extra ‘functionality’, without requiring additional fertiliser. They say their research will allow wheat growers in Australia access to non-traditional markets. The research is being funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) with the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA), and is being conducted in conjunction with Murdoch University, in Perth. Currently, Australian... ...Read more »

The 2011 total winter wheat crop is expected to be Australia’s third-largest on record, according to a new industry report released by specialist agribusiness bank, Rabobank. Rabobank estimates the wheat crop at 25.6 million tones for winter, despite variable crop conditions along the east coast and in South Australia. The expected increase in Western Australian production should compensate for the anticipated fall in the East Coast production. Rabobank senior analyst Dean Smith said that Spring... ...Read more »

Australia’s second largest wheat harvest on record is predicted for 2011-2012, according to a report released today by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Science (ABARES). The ABARES crop report for the September quarter predicts Australia’s total winter crop production to be around 41 million tonnes in 2011–12. This would be the fourth largest winter crop on record and is an upward revision from the ABARES June 2011 forecast of 40.8 million tonnes. Wheat... ...Read more »

Australia’s huge agricultural commodity producers and price-watchers place much emphasis on long-term weather forecasting. Recent market predictions might be further impacted by recent predictions for an unusual La Niña-dominated wet weather pattern in eastern Australia for the Australian summer at the end of calendar 2011. La Niña to return? The latest data from Ocean Pacific weather predictors envisage La Niña conditions returning again to Australia for the second year running. The La Niña... ...Read more »

Early last Thursday, Greenpeace activists whipper-snippered a genetically modified wheat experiment on the outskirts of Canberra. Two women, one of them described as a mother concerned for the health of her family, wore protective clothing and set up a protective cordon before destroying the CSIRO plantation. “This is about the protection of our health, the protection of our environment and the protection of our daily bread,” said Greenpeace Food campaigner Laura Kelly in defence of the sabotage. Her... ...Read more »

France will use talks with other G20 nations to argue for tougher rules on global food commodities trading, as surging prices pose a risk to businesses and consumers. France kicked-off two-day talks in Paris yesterday (22 June) to persuade G20 nations to impose caps on investments in food commodities, such as wheat, barley and sugar. Under its proposals, investors would also have to declare themselves as either speculative or commercial traders. It is the first time that agriculture ministers have... ...Read more »

Ants and termites may be the earthworms of dry-land agriculture, with a paper by scientists at CSIRO and the Univeristy of Sydney showing that the insects have a significant positive impact on crop yields in dryland agriculture. “Ants and termites perform the same ecosystem service functions in dryland agriculture that earthworms perform in cooler and wetter areas, but the potential for ants and termites to provide these benefits has received little attention until now,” said CSIRO’s... ...Read more »

A NSW Food Authority survey of products from retail outlets across Sydney labelled as ‘gluten free’ has revealed a high level of compliance in gluten content labelling. NSW Food Authority CEO Alan Coutts said this was good news for people living with coeliac disease, a condition which is currently being brought to public attention through Coeliac Awareness Week (13-20 March 2011). “Of the samples tested there was 95% compliance with the labelling and content requirements of the Food Standards... ...Read more »

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced today that it does not intend to oppose Cargill Incorporated’s proposed acquisition from Agrium of the commodity management businesses of AWB Limited. “The ACCC concluded that the proposed acquisition would be unlikely to substantially lessen competition as post-merger Cargill would continue to face competition from a number of significant sources,” ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said. The ACCC conducted a full review of... ...Read more »