Blogs

Future of food production will need partnership from new Labor government

By Steve Mudd posted 3 days ago
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Future of food production will need partnership from new Labor government The state’s peak farming body says Labor will need to make strategic investments in the agricultural sector to pay for election promises and secure the future food supply. NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said partnering with industry to bolster food and fibre production would be key to Labor’s next four years, which will help drive economic activity to deliver the programs and services the people of NSW need. “Roads and hospitals and schools, health workers and police and teachers – all these vital things come with a big price tag, and Premier-elect Chris Minns will ...
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Invest in climate mitigation, say farmers

By Steve Mudd posted 6 days ago
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Invest in climate mitigation, say farmers Farmers are asking both major parties to commit to practical solutions – not empty promises – in tackling climate change. With polling predicting a very tight election result and a high possibility of a hung parliament, attention is now on what deals and concessions the Coalition and Labor might make with minor parties and independents to secure government. NSW Farmers Dairy Committee member Kate Hand said climate targets and policies were likely to be the subject of many discussions, but warned “a target without a way to get there is just a problem”. “We don’t want to see agriculture become the sacrificial ...
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Spike in pig numbers needs urgent action

By Steve Mudd posted 9 days ago
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Spike in pig numbers needs urgent action Farmers say an explosion in feral pig numbers on public lands in the north and west of the state has resulted in massive damage to properties and livestock. Across the state more than 34,000 hoofed feral animals – including pigs, deer and goats – had been culled since November, but the feral pig population was still enormous. NSW Farmers member Peter Mailler was still seeing them run across his front lawn at North Star, and he said they presented a huge biosecurity risk if not controlled. “They’re doing enormous damage to property and the numbers are as bad as I’ve ever seen them,” Mr Mailler said. ...
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Farmers welcome boost to innovation fund

By Steve Mudd posted 13 days ago
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Farmers welcome boost to innovation fund NSW Farmers has welcomed the state government’s commitment to expand the Farm Innovation Fund if re-elected. On Friday afternoon Deputy Premier Paul Toole and Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders announced a $1 billion expansion to the program, along with plans to increase the maximum amount available to farmers to they can adopt new technologies and use automation and robotics to address labour shortages and carbon farming infrastructure. NSW Farmers Policy Director Kathy Rankin thanked the government for its commitment to farm productivity. “This puts farmers in the driver’s seat to future proof their business, ...
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Parties should explain their plans for Great Western Highway

By Steve Mudd posted 13 days ago
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Parties should explain their plans for Great Western Highway NSW Farmers CEO Pete Arkle has called on the Government and Opposition to outline clear plans for the future of the Great Western Highway. The key east-west road corridor has become a political football in recent weeks with both major parties in a heated exchange over what NSW Farmers sees as an important project. “This highway needs upgrading – everyone agrees on that – but rather than throw mud back and forth we need each side to clearly spell out what they will do, and when,” Mr Arkle said. “You’ve got a lot of farmers growing a lot of food and fibre in the west, and with ...
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Certainty on synthetic foods ‘impossible’

By Steve Mudd posted 13 days ago
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Certainty on synthetic foods ‘impossible’ NSW Farmers Poultry Manager Dave Banham says reports of synthetic chicken nuggets failing to meet food standards are cause for concern. Plant-based ‘chicken’ nuggets from US-based synthetic food producer Impossible Foods were discovered to contain calcium pantothenate – which is not permitted under Australian food safety rules – during a random test conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries. As a father of two, Mr Banham said it was concerning to hear synthetic versions of popular childrens’ foods were not meeting food safety standards. “You want to be sure that the food you’re ...
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Commitment sought on Farm Innovation Fund

By Steve Mudd posted 15 days ago
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Commitment sought on Farm Innovation Fund NSW Farmers has called on both sides of politics to commit to funding a state government program that boosts food production ahead of the election. The Farm Innovation Fund (FIF) helps farmers to improve productivity, manage adverse seasonal conditions and ensure sustainability with a long-term, low interest rate loan for permanent capital works. NSW Farmers Policy Director Kathy Rankin said farmers had used the FIF to identify and address risks to their farming business, improve permanent farm infrastructure, ensure long-term productivity and sustainable land use, and adapt to changes to seasonal ...
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Farmers reach agreement with Inland Rail builder

By Steve Mudd posted 16 days ago
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Farmers reach agreement with Inland Rail builder Landholders can expect better treatment during the construction of Inland Rail thanks to a landmark agreement between NSW Farmers and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). Inland Rail and NSW Farmers have worked together to develop a joint information pack that acknowledges and addresses issues of concern to property owners – including the poor behaviour of some contractors – and spells out the rights and responsibilities of all parties moving forward. NSW Farmers Inland Rail Taskforce chair Peter Wilson said there had been a series of open and productive mediator-facilitated discussions – ...
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Political focus must extend beyond Western Sydney

By Steve Mudd posted 21 days ago
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Political focus must extend beyond Western Sydney The state’s peak agricultural body has warned both sides of politics must not lose sight of the bush in the final weeks of the campaign. Both the Coalition and Labor had made big commitments to health funding recently, promising new hospitals and investments in health services. However, NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin noted there was a heavy focus on Western Sydney from both major parties, and urged them to look beyond the urban sprawl of Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong. “There’s been a lot of focus during the campaign on Western Sydney and that strip of ‘Regional’ NSW that sits between Newcastle ...
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Celebrating success on International Women's Day

By Steve Mudd posted 21 days ago
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Celebrating success on International Women's Day NSW Farmers is celebrating the hard work and dedication of rural women for International Women's Day. Driven and passionate women from across the state were making a difference in their communities – both on and off the farm – NSW Farmers Vice President Rebecca Reardon said. “Rural and remote communities are held together by women who love where they live and the way they work,” Mrs Reardon said. “They’re small business owners and teachers, health workers and accountants, volunteers and high-flyers who all play their part in making our communities better. “Women have always played a crucial role ...
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Farmers warn of fire risk as La Nina departs

By Steve Mudd posted 21 days ago
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Farmers warn of fire risk as La Nina departs The state’s run of devastating floods appears to be over, with forecasts of drier seasonal conditions ahead posing a heightened fire risk. According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, good soil moisture and high water storage levels would support food and fibre production as rainfall eased. NSW Farmers Western Division chair Gerard Glover – whose property was completely cut off by floodwater just three months ago – said it was welcome news not just for farmers but also communities in the bush. “We’re all a bit sick of mopping up after 18 months of floods across ...
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Farmers board tour a success

By Steve Mudd posted 24 days ago
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Farmers board tour a success NSW Farmers Board members have covered 2800km across the region listening to local branches and discussing critical issues such as renewable energy. The impact of renewable developments was first raised by the Coolah-Cassilis Branch, but was repeated several times during the tour, local Regional Service Manager Mick Collins said. “A lot of our smaller communities just aren’t set up to cope with the massive influx of workers and materials to build all of these new power installations,” Mr Collins said. “Our board members were impressed with the depth of knowledge and research from our branches, and there are likely to ...
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Report reveals reset needed on renewables

By Steve Mudd posted 27 days ago
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Report reveals reset needed on renewables Poor consultation and planning is likely to deepen the divide between politicians and people unless urgently addressed, NSW Farmers says. Agriculture Commissioner Daryl Quinlivan conceded there was significant community unrest in his second report – recently released by the NSW Government – but said renewable energy developments must proceed regardless. NSW Farmers Vice President Rebecca Reardon said farmers and country communities were being sacrificed in the energy transition. “We grow the food and fibre to feed and clothe people, and now we’re told we need to generate power as well!” Mrs Reardon said. ...
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Helping farmers navigate green tape

By Steve Mudd posted 28 days ago
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Helping farmers navigate green tape The state’s peak agricultural body will tackle confusing new council rules at an online information session on Friday. Proposed environmental conservation zoning, or ‘C Zones’, have caused a lot of angst among landholders, who are facing the threat of having their agricultural businesses shut down by punitive council regulations. NSW Farmers spokesman Ron Chittick said farmers had been told they may need to apply to council to change their on-farm operations as a result of the move, which he called ‘silly’. He said many regional communities were built on the back of agriculture, and to unilaterally declare responsibly-managed ...
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Statement on Thurloo National Park

By Steve Mudd posted 28 days ago
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Statement on Thurloo National Park NSW Farmers Western Division chair Gerard Glover says the state government needs to ensure its new mega National Park doesn’t become a breeding ground for invasive species. This week Premier Dominic Perrottet announced almost half a million hectares of land would be converted to National Park, and that the next two years would see a “ramp up” of feral animal and weed control. It was also announced the National Parks and Wildlife Service would engage additional staff to manage the property and deliver $4 million in initial capital works to support park management and visitor infrastructure. Mr Glover said invasive ...
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Farmers welcome Port appointment

By Steve Mudd posted 28 days ago
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Farmers welcome Port appointment NSW Farmers Acting President Rebecca Reardon has thanked the NSW Government for keeping its word on the Port of Newcastle. “This is welcome news not just for the people of the Port and the City of Newcastle, but for all of those businesses and communities that will get great economic benefit from a container terminal,” Mrs Reardon said. “NSW Farmers has been supportive of plans to expand operations at the Port of Newcastle as it will reduce costs and improve efficiencies for farmers in the state’s north who grow our food and fibre.” At present, farmers in the north west have their produce trucked past Newcastle to ...
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Cost cutting increases bushfire threat

By Steve Mudd posted 28 days ago
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Cost cutting increases bushfire threat New high voltage power lines in the state’s south pose an unacceptable bushfire risk to communities, NSW Farmers has warned. Despite multiple findings and reports of power lines causing serious bushfires and disrupting firefighting efforts, the NSW Government is continuing to allow developers to go ahead with more overhead transmission lines in fire-affected parts of the state’s south. NSW Farmers Energy Transition Working Group chair Reg Kidd said the Government had to explain why it was allowing Transgrid to build more overhead power lines when there was compelling evidence they increased the risk of bushfires. ...
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Lismore responds to flood report

By Steve Mudd posted 24-02-2023
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Lismore responds to flood report A CSIRO report highlighting critical failings during last year’s devastating flooding must be swiftly put into action, NSW Farmers says. This week the state and federal governments jointly announced the first tranche of projects to improve the disaster resilience of the Northern Rivers, which was devastated by serious flood events a year ago. NSW Farmers Lismore Branch chair Warren Elvery said reports were only any good if they were acted upon, calling for all recommendations to be acted upon quickly. “We cannot afford to let this region – or any region – experience a repeat of the sort of year we’ve had,” ...
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Farmers welcome focus on supply chain

By Steve Mudd posted 23-02-2023
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Farmers welcome focus on supply chain NSW Farmers has welcomed the Coalition’s announcement of a Supply Chain Commissioner if re-elected on March 25. Improving and better connecting road and rail infrastructure was one of the peak agricultural body’s key election priorities , and NSW Farmers Grains Committee chair Justin Everitt thanked Premier Dominic Perrottet for backing it in. “It is critical we have fit-for-purpose road, rail and port infrastructure to get food and fibre from farm gate to dinner plate,” Mr Everitt said. “At the moment we have a lot of inefficiencies in the supply chain that are resulting in higher prices for consumers. ...
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State’s best farming land under threat

By Steve Mudd posted 22-02-2023
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State’s best farming land under threat Farmers on the state’s best agricultural land have faced years of uncertainty because of complex red tape that threatens food production. New analysis from NSW Farmers revealed a cloud over ongoing farm production on two-thirds of State Significant Agricultural Land because of conflicting mapping and land use definitions from the NSW Government. NSW Farmers Vice President Rebecca Reardon said there was an urgent need for clarity and co-ordination from government so farmers could get on with the job of growing food and fibre without worrying about inaccurate maps and indecipherable restrictions. “It’s simply ...
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