In a world first, Western Australia's Western Rock Lobster has been re-certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for the fifth time in a row. The re-certification represents a major sustainability milestone for the fishery.

MSC's Fisheries Standard is used to assess if a fishery is well-managed and sustainable. The process involves a rigorous independent expert review, which examines the sustainability of breeding stock, as well as fishing effort, and the impact of the fishery on the wider environment. It also looks at how well the fishery consults with stakeholders, recreational fishers and conservation organisations.

Today's news that Western Rock Lobster has been re-certified is a testament to the sound management and research programs that underpin this highly valuable resource.

MSC certification has also helped spark a growing international interest in Western Rock Lobster with new export opportunities opening-up through the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement. More... Source: WA Minister for Fisheries | Photo: DPIRD / GFC 

Wines from 17 Margaret River wineries were on display and sampled during the Wild, Windswept and World Class wine tasting event held at 67 Pall Mall in London this month.

The WA Wines to the World showcase was part of the industry-led wine export program coordinated by Wines of Western Australia in conjunction with Hydra Consulting, with funding support provided by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

The event comprised a structured tasting of 14 wines from current and museum vintages, with live video streaming of winemaker commentary from Margaret River (seven producers).  Following the structured tasting, there was a free-pour tasting of a further 10 wines over lunch.  Guests comprised key United Kingdom (UK) wine media and trade, including renowned wine writer Jancis Robinson.

Western Australian Agent General John Langoulant AO – who attended the event – said Australian wines have long had an excellent reputation in the UK, with WA wines up there with the very best.

"When you live in or visit the UK you very quickly realise that world-class WA wines are very popular there and are widely recognised as being of premium quality."

Mr Langoulant said the UK wine market is highly competitive, but it is very encouraging to see that Margaret River wines – and more broadly WA wines – have established a strong presence in this very crowded market.  Source: Wines of WA / WA Agent General | Photo:  Wine Australia

The Margaret River Wine Region shone bright at last week's annual Wine Communicator Awards in Sydney with Margaret River Fine Vines Festival crowned Best Wine Themed Event and Margaret River Wine Guide taking out Best Wine Website or App.

The annual awards recognise excellence in wine communications and were created to acknowledge outstanding contributions to, and excellence in wine communication in all forms.

Ms Whiteland said that for Margaret River, a region that grows less than 2% of Australia’s wine grapes, to be recognised for excellence in wine communication, is fantastic.

The project was supported by funding from the WA Wines to the World Program. This partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is supporting programs to lift the international profile of the fine wine regions of WA. Source: Margaret River Wine Association | Photo: Fine Vines

As of 11 November 2022, Oceania jet fuel prices were $128 per barrel, 1% higher than the previous week and 41.2% higher compared with the same period in 2021, Austrade has reported in its latest Export Supply Chain Service Snapshot.

Fuel costs are expected to remain high due to limited refinery capacity, placing pressure on airlines to balance the risk of increasing freight prices and potentially impairing demand.

Austrade says 1425 outbound flights from Australia were reported in the first week of November, representing approximately more than three times the number of flights for the same period in 2020 (470 flights), and 71% of flights from the same period in 2019. More... Source: Austrade | Photo: Pandu Agus Wismoyo / Unsplash

Australian exporters can expect to benefit from the rising demand for wheat, according to the latest Austrade Insight. Australian exporters have existing trade relationships with several growth markets.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations expect global wheat demand to increase by 11% over the next decade. This will be driven by:

• A global population increase of 800 million (0.9% average annual growth).
• Use of wheat as animal feed, particularly in Asia where meat consumption is rising.
• Demand for biofuels, both directly as a source of ethanol, and indirectly as other food sources are diverted towards biofuel production.

Much of the demand will come from developing countries in Asia. Most of them will need more imports from major grain producers, such as Australia. More... Source: Austrade | Graphic: OECD-FAO / Austrade

World food markets face volatility and ongoing high prices amid a 'cocktail of prevailing headwinds' in 2023, a global new report from Rabobank has predicted.

Consumers, farmers and suppliers will need to grapple with a darkening global macroeconomic picture, energy shortages and challenging geopolitics, with ongoing shortages of some key commodities, according to the Outlook 2023: Tightening the Belt report.

However, there is the hope of more benign weather in 2023, with La Niña set to be a less disruptive influence after three years of subjecting farmers across the Americas to very dry weather (as well as extreme rainfall and flooding in parts of Australia).

Rabobank says the prices of many global agri commodities are high by historic levels, yet a number of factors are depressing production levels that might otherwise increase supply. These include lost land in some key agricultural areas – notably war-torn Ukraine – high input prices on farms and increases in the cost of funding. More... Source: Rabobank | Photo: DPIRD