Zara Lowien is the new National Irrigators Council CEO. Photo: Melanie Jenson
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Melanie Jenson 2016
Food and grocery code review
Submissions to the consultation process for the review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct are due by Thursday, February 29.
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The ACCC encourages interested parties to make a submission to the consultation process, which is seeking views on whether the code is effective and how it could potentially be improved.
The code was introduced to improve standards of business behaviour in the food and grocery sector, including the conduct of retailers and wholesalers towards suppliers.
The code review is separate to the recently announced ACCC inquiry into the supermarket sector, which will include the pricing practices of the supermarkets and the relationship between wholesale, including farm gate, and retail prices.
The National Irrigators Council has welcomed Zara Lowien as its new chief executive officer.
“We are excited to be welcoming Zara to the organisation at this important time for members and at this crucial juncture for national water reform,” NIC chair Jeremy Morton said.
“Zara brings more than a decade of experience in water policy working with diverse range of stakeholders, having spent the last 13 years as the executive officer at Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association, a member organisation of NIC.
“She has a wealth of water policy knowledge as well as a grounding in hydrology and science. She has a clear passion for agriculture and the prosperity of regional communities, playing a pivotal role in her own community.”
Mrs Lowien said it was a “privilege to be representing the members of the National Irrigators Council and bringing their voice to decision makers on key issues that affect the industry and the communities we live in”.
NIC held its first general meeting for the year last week, with key items on the agenda including an update on the Federal Government’s implementation of the re-written Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Conference to discuss varroa mite
The Recreational Beekeepers Conference will be held on March 9.
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Daneka Hill
The Recreational Beekeepers Conference will be held at the Victorian Croquet Centre at 65 Nobel Banks Dve, Cairnlea, on Saturday, March 9.
Organised by the Victorian Apiarists’ Association, a key aim of the conference is to inform hobby or recreational beekeepers about the varroa mite threat.
Starting at 9am, the full-day program that is broken up into two parts: Improving Your Skills as a Beekeeper and Addressing the Biosecurity Challenges like the Varroa Mite.
Supporting these themes will be live beehive openings and demonstrations.
VAA president John Van Weeghel said an impressive program of speakers had been confirmed, with leading practitioners, educators and scientists including Vin Anderson, Mike Love, Michael Johnson, Dr Jodi Gertz, Dr Andrew Wootton, Prof Travis Beddoe and Prof Madelaine Beekman as guest presenters.
They will be joined by VAA’s John Van Weeghel and Nikki Jones, and Adam Maxwell from Agriculture Victoria.
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