Current News

Each year, the economic impact of established vertebrate pest animals in Australian is around $800 million, while weeds cost us over $4 billion in terms of production losses and control activities.

It is important to continue looking at new and innovative ways to manage the impact of priority established pest animal and weeds. The $13 million Australian Government’s Advancing Pest Animal and Weed Control Solutions competitive grant round is now open for applications.

The grant round aims to target organisations with a proven research and development capacity. The funding for this grant round is to advance a range of breakthrough control solutions that challenge traditional approaches for the control of established pest animals or weeds, by researching and developing new practices, methods and tools, or adapting existing ones for use in new or different ways. Projects could investigate developing biological controls, solutions for herbicide resistance, genetic modification technologies, chemical and non-chemical herbicides, digital, web-based and disruption technologies and electronic resources.

Applications will close on 25 September 2020. For more information, including application details, visit the Grant Connect website (https://www.grants.gov.au/) or the Department’s website.

• Professor Matt Whiting from Washington State University talks about how to manage crop load at the recent Export Workshop.
• Mike Omeg from Orchard View Cherries talks about production forecasting and cropload management at the recent Export Workshop.
• Short Video from CherryHill explaining the Dowell Pruning Method
• Steve from Chappies Orchards explains how to count buds and prune to prevent overcropping
• Simon Rouget from Koala Orchards gives a Lapin pruning demonstration

Update on the COVID Safe Plan requirements.

There has been a change to the requirements for regional businesses in relation to COVID Safe Plans.

For businesses (excluding abattoirs, meat, seafood and poultry processors) operating in regional Victoria a COVID Safe Plan is now advised, but not mandatory.

For permitted businesses operating in metro-Melbourne, a COVID Safe Plan remains mandatory.

We are still awaiting clarity on the definition of warehousing and cold storage and having a High Risk COVID Safe Plan place as it relates to agricultural industries. 

This change is documented in the updated Workplace Directions (No 2). This Directions notice also details obligations on employers. All Directions notices are available here (scroll to the bottom of the page).

More information on COVID Safe Plans is available via Business Victoria 

**Please understand that the information is changing on a daily basis and we will try to keep our members informed of all updates.

ACCC’s Murray-Darling Basin inquiry interim report

The ACCC’s Murray-Darling Basin water markets inquiry interim report has today been released and can be accessed on the ACCC website at https://www.accc.gov.au/focus-areas/inquiries-ongoing/murray-darling-basin-water-markets-inquiry/interim-report
 
The interim report discusses a range of issues identified throughout the inquiry and sets out potential options for improving the operation of Murray-Darling Basin water markets. The ACCC welcomes your feedback in response to the interim report. Further information about making submissions can be accessed at https://www.accc.gov.au/focus-areas/inquiries-ongoing/murray-darling-basin-water-markets-inquiry/interim-report. The ACCC requests submissions by 28 August 2020.