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MARCH KICKS OFF MEETING WEEK
MARCH MEETING WEEK
Our first meeting week for the year was held from 19-23 March and as always it was a fantastic week connecting with our members and stakeholders to share our insights and ideas. We enjoyed having all of our members and stakeholders in our offices and look forward to doing it all again in September! Check out some great snaps from the night below.
2018 FARM BIOSECURITY PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
A big congratulations to Mackay Farming Group and Rum Jungle Organics on taking out the 2018 Farm Biosecurity Producer of the Year award! Find out more about the producers and the biosecurity challenges they've overcome in our latest news below.
I hope you enjoy reading this month's edition of Animal Health Express.
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Banana growers recognised in biosecurity awards
Farm Biosecurity, news post, 8 March 2018
The winners of the inaugural Farm Biosecurity Producer of The Year Award, part of the Australian Biosecurity Awards, are Mackay Farming Group from Tully, Queensland, and Rum Jungle Organics, from Batchelor in the Northern Territory.
Read more
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(L-R) Gavin Mackay and Cameron Mackay from Mackay Farming Group; Alan Peterson from Rum Jungle Organics; Greg Fraser from Plant Health Australia; Julie Anne Murphy from Rum Jungle Organics; Jim Pekin from Australian Banana Growers’ Council.
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Meeting week, March 19-23. AHA members and stakeholders enjoyed a networking function that included sampling alpaca meat, as well as engaging in workshops and discussions on traceability, the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity review recommendations and next steps as well as changing community expectations.
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New chicken meat scholarship to honour industry champion
AgriFutures Australia, media release, 19 March 2018
A new postgraduate scholarship has been launched in honour of former AgriFutures™ Chicken Meat Advisory Panel Chair and Australian Chicken Meat Federation President, Gary Sansom, to uncover future chicken meat industry leaders and provide funding and support to make their mark on the industry.
Read more
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Helen Jenkins - Aquatic Biosecurity Liaison Officer, North Australia
Helen has spent more than 28 years working in the seafood/aquatic industry sectors working with rural and regional stakeholders.
Helen provides leadership for the development and sustainability of aquaculture in Australia, and has extensive knowledge of industry issues, policies and regulatory challenges.
Her prior role was Executive Officer of the Australian Prawn Farmers Association where she experienced firsthand the devastating impacts that an exotic disease can have on an industry when white-spot disease hit South East Queensland prawn farms in December 2016.
Prior to moving to Queensland from Victoria in 2007 she was the business manager for a Japanese owned Seafood Company, a position held for over 18 years.
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SPA endorses change in lamb definition
Sheep Producers Australia, media release, 21 March 2018
Sheep Producers Australia has endorsed a change in the industry definition of lamb to be the same as the New Zealand definition, based on a formal, industry-wide call for feedback.
Read more
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Francette Geraghty-Dusan (AHA), Justin Toohey (Cattle Council of Australia) and Claire Petterson (AHA) participated in Exercise Border Bridge over 5-9 March 2018, a joint exercise that assessed how NSW and QLD can respond to a biosecurity incident occurring across both jurisdictions.
Stationed in Exercise Control at the Local Control Centre in Toowoomba, they were just three of the whopping 260 individuals who were spread across three locations during the exercise.
For more info about the exercise visit https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/borderbridge
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05 March 2018
The latest version of the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) is now available on the AHA website.
The EADRA is a unique contractual arrangement signed in 2002 that brings together the Australian, state and territory governments and livestock industry groups to collectively and significantly increase Australia’s capacity to prepare for—and respond to—emergency animal disease (EAD) incursions.
The EADRA covers 66 categorised animal diseases and 23 Signatories to the Deed (governments and industry bodies).
The main benefit of the Agreement is the ability to respond quickly and effectively to an EAD incident while minimising uncertainty over management and funding arrangements.
Find out more about the EADRA here.
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WoolProducers Australia Raising the Baa in Industry Capacity Building
WoolProducers Australia, media release, 26 March 2018
WoolProducers has identified a gap in industry representative capacity building within the Australian wool industry. In order to address this gap, WPA pursued and were successful in obtaining a grant under the Commonwealth Government’s Leadership in Agricultural Industries Fund.
Read more
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Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 07 March 2018
This is Jeff.
Jeff doesn’t realise he’s about to make a big biosecurity blunder!
Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility; it affects what we eat, how we earn our living and what we do for fun.
If you see something weird, don’t be a Jeff!
SEE. SECURE. REPORT.
Find out more - agriculture.gov.au/dontbeajeff
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Fit to Load Guide, Meat & Livestock Australia, 22 Feb 2018
When transporting livestock, it is essential that they are managed in a way that reduces stress and minimises any risks to animal welfare.
Find out more
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Farm Biosecurity Newsletter
The March edition of the Farm Biosecurity e-newsletter is now available. This month features the following articles:
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Australian biosecurity a vanguard for protecting Aussie farmers
Colin Bettles, The Land, 21 March 2018
About 340,000 biosecurity risk items were intercepted across Australian entry points and borders last year, including those which could “decimate” local agriculture.
Read more
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Apply now for a 2018 Churchill Fellowship!
Churchill Trust, media release, 1 February 2018
This prestigious award offers Australian citizens the opportunity to travel overseas to investigate a topic or an issue they are passionate about. It is for anyone who, after examining alternatives within Australia, would now like to see what other countries are doing successfully in a similar field to inspire new ideas and innovation.
Read more
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Remote Area Planning & Development Board - QLD Feral Pest Initiative
In 2016, and again in 2017, The Remote Area Planning and Development Board, operating through the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative, was successful in its bid to deliver projects under the Australian Government Pest Animals and Weeds program for cluster fencing arrangements in areas with high wild dog density.
Read more
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ABARES Outlook shows the lucrative rise of Australia's sheep and wool industry
Annabelle Cleeland, Farm Online, 06 March 2018
Australian sheep farmers are cashing in on historic meat and wool prices, as average farm income for the sector hits a 20-year high of $170,000 this financial year.
Read more
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Horse owners launch $53 million class action against Hendra vaccine maker Zoetis
Hilary Cassell, ABC News, 21 March 2018
The owners, from New South Wales and Queensland, are claiming that Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd did not provide adequate warnings about the potential side effects of the vaccine on their horses.
Read more
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Hays Converter: New breed could boost sustainability of national cattle herd
Jessica Schremmer, ABC Rural, 19 March 2018
A cattle breed that converts feed into lean meat "like no other", could increase not just the efficiency but also sustainability of Australia's cattle industry.
Read more
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Blue swimmer crabs need protection from recreational fishing, crabbers say
Kate Stephens, ABC Rural, 16 March 2018
Commercial crabbers are calling for a recreational licence to help keep the number of blue swimmer crabs in Western Australia at sustainable levels.
Read more
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McDonald’s launches 100 per cent Australian-bred Wagyu burger
Farm Online, 21 March 2018
The McDonald’s fast food chain estimates it will use more than 280 tonnes of Wagyu beef from Queensland to supply what it claims is the world’s first 100 per cent Wagyu burger.
Read more
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Keep up to date by following us on social media.
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Office location: Level 2, 95 Northbourne Ave, Turner ACT 2612
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