News in brief

Financial support from the Primary Producer Flood Recovery Package will remain open until 4pm on Thursday, July 13. More information is available on the Rural Finance website or by calling 1800 260 465.

For assistance in applying or understanding your eligibility, contact the Rural Financial Counselling Service on 1300 771 741.

Agriculture Victoria continues to provide technical advice and decision-making support to flood and storm-affected farmers. More information is available on the Agriculture Victoria website or by calling the Agriculture Recovery Team on 0427 694 185.

Training pickers via virtual reality

Training fruit pickers using virtual reality equipment, employing robots to move fruit containers and wearing exoskeletons to support physical labour are all possibilities being considered by Australian berry growers to boost labour efficiency.

Hort Innovation chief executive Brett Fifield said the research provided a glimpse of the not-too-distant future.

“There is an increasing demand from horticultural industries to explore and adopt technologies that help solve growers’ biggest challenges,” he said.

“The berry industry has experienced significant growth in both volume and value but is heavily dependent on hand-picking to meet the demand for fresh fruit.”

The research found there was huge potential for virtual reality technology to revolutionise fruit picker training by reducing training time significantly, and also facilitating off-season and off-site training.

Calls to grow future farm workforce

State Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe is calling for significant financial investment in agriculture education to inspire students to pursue a career in the industry.

Ms O'Keeffe participated in a recent roundtable discussion, facilitated by La Trobe University Chancellor John Brumby. The event brought together 40 participants with the objective of exploring strategies to connect students with employment prospects in the region and enhance their engagement in higher education pathways.

“Hands-on experience to develop the skills involved in animal breeding and welfare, soil and plant biology, machinery operations, weed and pest control and aquaculture is critical at a secondary school level,” she said.

"To sustain our workforce, the Andrews Government must invest in agriculture and horticulture opportunities for secondary students, including appropriate facilities and qualified teachers."

Carbon neutral pork hits shelves

Coles customers can now purchase pork that is certified carbon neutral from farm to shelf in accordance with the Federal Government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard.

The new Coles Finest Carbon Neutral pork range is available nationally and includes eight premium cuts such as rib rack, cutlets, schnitzel, diced, leg roast, porchetta and porterhouse and tomahawk steaks.

Coles has worked closely with a Western Australian supplier who has implemented sustainable practices such as reducing the use of artificial fertilisers, investing in renewable energy and improved soil management practices, resulting in farm emissions that are more than 30 per cent below the Australian pork industry average.

Australian Pork Ltd chief executive officer Margo Andrae said the new Coles’ range built on the positive steps the pork industry had been taking for the past three decades to minimise its environmental footprint.

Review to power up renewables engagement

The National Farmers’ Federation has hailed the Federal Government’s review into community engagement practices for renewable energy infrastructure as a step in the right direction.

NFF vice-president David Jochinke said farmers were sick of energy companies seeing productive farmland as a blank canvas for their projects.

“The transition to renewable energy means thousands of kilometres of new transmission lines on farmland yet farmers are often left in the dark about these projects,” he said.

“Farmers feel powerless when energy companies announce their plans with little to no consultation. Our sector wants to work with energy companies to ensure the best possible outcome.”

The review aims to improve planning and community engagement when new transmission lines and renewable energy zones are proposed.

Hume Dam releases increase

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has increased releases from Hume Dam to gain more airspace while storage levels remain higher than average for this time of year.

Hume and Dartmouth dams are currently at 97 per cent capacity.

MDBA senior director river management Joe Davis said the releases were at channel capacity downstream of Hume at Doctors Point but might be increased if rainfall and inflow forecasts strengthen.

“Releases from Hume Dam are currently targeting 25,000 Ml/day at Doctors Point but could safely be increased to around 32,000 Ml/day in the coming days to gain airspace ahead of predicted rainfall.

“With water moving through the Murray from releases and inflows, river levels downstream of Hume will be higher in some places. We want to remind those living downstream of the dams to always be flood ready.”

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Support for Dalton’s water bill

Southern Riverina Irrigators have welcomed the push by NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton to ensure the neutrality test remains in place when it comes to buybacks and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

“Under the basin plan, Murray Irrigation have already lost 30 per cent of the productive water through the system, further losses threaten a genuine $7 billion output and viability of our region,” SRI chair Chris Brooks said.

He said the South Australian and Victorian governments opposed buybacks in their respective states, and the biggest concern remains the Federal Government targeting NSW Murray and Murrumbidgee because of the capacity in those storages.

Mrs Dalton’s private members bill in the NSW Parliament seeks to ensure no more water can be transferred to the Commonwealth without a socio-economic impact review which demonstrates neutral to positive outcomes.

Progress made, but more to do

Australia is leading the way when it comes to the delivery of water for the environment but there is more work to do, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Simon Banks told the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s recent River Reflections conference.

Dr Banks said the CEWH had made significant inroads since its establishment in 2009 to take a collaborative approach to water management.

“It’s not just about turning on a tap to deliver water,” he said.

“We work with First Nations people, local communities, scientists and water managers to understand the complex relationships between water and the environment.”

He said the CEWH had also invested in science and monitoring that demonstrated how important water for the environment was for keeping the basin’s ecosystems thriving.