Geraldton Fishermen's Co-operative's online Members' meeting was held on Friday, 14th April.

Your Co-operative Update: 

GFC CEO Matt Rutter gave a Member update. The main points are summarised below;

• Matt gave Members an insight into some of the discussions happening in the business about pre-season preparations. Pre-season preparations include a review and implementation of improvements to GFC's supply chain and services to Members;
• Typically this review happens each year, but due to the current short season, discussions are already underway. Matt shared that the review includes feedback from Members and staff on areas of operations that can be improved in addition to Member programs and initiatives. These are early-stage preparations at present, and more information will be shared with Members as they develop.

Member Services;

Leith Teakle, GM of Member Services, gave Members an update from the Member Services team. The main points are summarised below;

• Leith shared with Members an update on the Member App; A new version of the App was released a couple of weeks ago, which was intended to address the long loading time when many users log in simultaneously - after the beach price notification is sent. Unfortunately, the update deployed has not addressed the issues, so the development team continue to work on this issue in the background;
• Leith shared some information on the GFC Ladies' lunch in May. An email was sent to Members about these functions, but we know we may not have emails for all Ladies in GFC's Member base, so Leith encouraged Members to share the earlier email with ladies in your families or businesses that might be interested in attending or refer them to the article below for more information;  
• Leith provided an update on the planned GFC Member Tour to South Australia. Thanks to solid Member interest, the tour will be going ahead. An early itinerary has been designed that will include; A visit to GFC's Sultan Way frozen lobster production facility before flying to Mt. Gambier to visit Limestone Coast Co-operative (a Co-op that GFC helped establish for South Australia rock lobster fishers) and then on to Adelaide to attend the Trans Tasman Rock Lobster Conference. More information on the tour schedule and costs will be shared with Members that responded to the expression of interest shortly. If you didn't express an interest in attending but would like to, please get in touch with Leith.  

Market Summary;

Bryan Keay, GM of Trade and Business Development, gave Members a market update. The main points are summarised below;

• Bryan shared that beach prices have been stable, with most of the fluctuations driven by movements in the AUD-USD foreign exchange;
• Live market demand has been subdued recently but is expected to pick up in the coming weeks due to festivals/ holiday observances in some markets. Bryan cautioned this might not result in higher live prices as the percentage of live products being sold is relatively low;
• Bryan spoke about GFC's frozen program, which is tracking according to plan with forecast production volumes and prices. However, Bryan did spend some time talking about cold store logistical issues affecting many producers around the country, with Scott's Transport recently going into receivership;
• This has caused a squeeze in cold store availability around the country. Many cold stores are now at or close to storage capacity. This impacts GFC, both in terms of how much product we can move into cold storage facilities and how much product can be despatched out to customers;
• Bryan shared that the team is working on a solution for the next six weeks while GFC's intake and production volumes are high. Bryan doesn't believe this will impact fishers at this stage, but with so many variables, this could change, so we will keep you updated as this challenge evolves.

Intake and Sales Summary;

• Intake has picked up significantly since the last online meeting, and Bryan estimates we are around 2% behind the 5-year average season-to-date catch volume;
• Weekly intake has been solid in recent weeks (apart from the Easter period, which is to be expected), and the proportion of live sales is expected to increase in late April and early May.

The next Member online meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 4th May 2023, at 4 pm. The meeting link will be sent to Members via email before the meeting.

If you have any questions or topics you'd like addressed in a future meeting, or if you want to discuss the above summary further, please contact one of the Member Services team.

GFC Member Ladies Lunch

In recognition of the invaluable contribution and strength partners of GFC fishers make to our cooperative, we're planning a luncheon in Geraldton and Fremantle in May.

The ladies' luncheon is a chance for all partners to come together, have a chat and enjoy each other's company in a relaxed environment.  The functions are planned as below;

Geraldton - Geraldton Yacht Club - Wednesday 10th May - 11:00am to 2:30pm

Fremantle - Venue TBA - Wednesday 17th May - 11:00am to 2:30pm

The invitation is open to all ladies in GFC's Memberbase. To assist with venue planning and numbers, please follow the link to express your interest in the Fremantle or Geraldton lunch before Friday, 28th April.

If you have any questions or want additional information, please contact Debbie Frater or Lisa Weyell.

UK Parliament Approves Free Trade Agreement with Australia.

Late last month, the UK parliament passed legislation to bring the Australian-United Kingdon Free Trade Agreement into effect.

The agreement will remove tariffs on over 99 per cent of the $9.2 billion in Australian goods exported to the UK annually. It will help revitalise local manufacturing and provide new access to the UK's government procurement market worth an estimated half a trillion dollars annually.

Free Trade Agreements are vital to helping level the playing field between WA rock lobster and international competition. For Australian lobster, once the Australian-UK FTA comes into effect, tariff rates for live and frozen products will drop from 12% to 0%. The enforcement date for the agreement is yet to be confirmed but is expected in the coming weeks.

Your Trade and Business Development team will attend Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona this month and will also stop in London and Paris to attend meetings, seeking opportunities with importers and distributors, retailers in the UK and across Europe

See more information about the Australian-UK FTA from the Federal Trade Minister here, and you can visit the FTA benefits summary here.

The International Conference & Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and Management 2023

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and the Western Rock Lobster Council (WRL) will be hosting the 12th International Conference and Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and Management (ICWL) workshop on 22 – 27 October 2023 at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Of particular interest to Members, the Industry Day will take place on Thursday, 26th October. More information can be found here.

International Day of Cooperatives - Cooperatives for sustainable development

On 1 July, the cooperative movement will celebrate the 2023 International Day of Cooperatives. United by the slogan Cooperatives for sustainable development, we will show how the cooperative way of working, inspired by cooperative values and principles, has the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of its DNA.

“At the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda, efforts need to be deepened, and this can only be done with more cooperation. Enterprises, which are responsible for organising the production and distribution of goods and services, must focus on people and the planet. Cooperatives have a model for doing this and have been demonstrating it for almost 200 years'', says the President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), Ariel Guarco.

To learn more about the International Day of Cooperatives and how the cooperative sector will contribute to global sustainable development, click here to read the full press release.

• First Bite;  Study suggests Canadian lobster may be able to adapt to warming ocean temperatures
• Second Bite; WA scientists help to find 'deepest fish ever caught'
• Third Bite; WA lobster fishers call for respect as cargo ships allegedly run over fishing gear
• Final Bite; Federal government says agreement reached with China to resolve barley dispute

Local Chef to Introduce Geraldton Crayfish Pie to the Nation

Local chef and owner of Laian Restaurant, Nadeem Turkay, is passionate about using local produce. At Nadeem's restaurant, he sources fresh Midwest produce from the land and the sea, everything from herbs, vegetables, protein and locally caught Brolos rock lobster.

Nadeem's passion for Middle Eastern cuisine and utilising local flavours has earned him a growing following in town. He's also attracted some attention from afar with celebrated chef and host of the popular SBS TV show The Cook Up, Adam Liaw.

Nadeem has been invited to feature on The Cook Up and will prepare two lobster dishes, including his famous crayfish pie, a favourite amongst regulars at Laian Restaurant.

Nadeem will use the platform to showcase WA rock lobster and raise the profile of the Midwest as a food bowl worthy of exploration.

Check out the image below of Nadeem and Adam on the set of The Cook-Up yesterday. We can't wait to see how our lobster turns out, so we'll keep you updated on air dates for the episode. Be sure to visit Nadeem's restaurant next to the Geraldton Cathedral or check out the Facebook page to see all the tasty dishes on the menu at Laian.

Nadeem Turkay on the set of The Cook Up with celebrity chef, Adam Liaw.

The Channel 7 Top Tourism Town awards are on again, and Geraldton is a finalist. We may be biased, but the City of Greater Geraldton has undergone a massive transformation over the last few years.

Thanks to dedicated community groups, businesses and government agencies committed to improving the community where we live and work.

We encourage you to vote for Geraldton in the Top Tourism Town award category today so we can take home gold!

Click here to cast your vote for Geraldton; it only takes a minute.

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 5

Congratulations to our weekly prize winners:

Round 3 - chadd newby
Round 4 - Cruel Sea
Round 5 - Luke Fresh & BJ66

We will be in touch to organise your prizes

REMINDER: Your $50 entry fee is now due, please contact Alison at GFC Geraldton Reception on 9965 9010 to organise payment