CropLinks Winter Edition 2015

T H E L AT E S T P L A N T S C I E N C E I N D U S T R Y N E W S

Australia’s White The age offirst pseudoscience Paper for Agriculture Modern communications have brought about rapid progress in science and technology The Australian Government’s recently as ideas, data and predictions can be shared released Agricultural Competitiveness around the world in ana instant.

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Inside this issue The many benefits of crop protection 4 Australian farmers growing GM crops 7 gain US$885 million Stronger

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representing the best of the plant science industry

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Matthew Cossey Chief Executive Officer, CropLife Australia

From the Chief Executive Officer Government investment in agriculture will deliver for all Four years ago, I highlighted the importance of a long-term strategic vision for agriculture for the same reasons the nation has one for defence.

The recently announced Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper (the White Paper) establishes a comprehensive and strategic plan that is a milestone in Australian agriculture history, recognising the importance of a competitive and productive agriculture sector.

The White Paper shows government working to reduce unnecessary regulation and create a culture of innovation, rather than adding burdensome red tape. The funding for streamlining agricultural and veterinary chemical approval is an example of such initiatives.

Allocating some of this funding towards improving farmer’s access to crop protection products through a more efficient APVMA registration process and Minor Use and Specialty Crops Program would be a smart investment in an

industry and directly benefit Australia’s farming sector’s competitiveness.

Unshackling Australian farmers by repealing state GM moratoria would allow Australian farmers to compete on a level playing field in an aggressively competitive global market.

Farmers, who already benefit from access to GM cotton and canola crops, must have the choice to use new, innovative and safe technologies. This will allow them to meet the requirements of increased demand for food and to farm sustainably on limited arable land.

With farmers facing challenges such as an increasingly globally competitive market, it is crucial that government provides a clear vision and stability in the regulatory environment to allow it to invest long‑term and deliver outcomes for the nation.

Irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with all or parts of the document, the government should be commended for delivering the nation’s first White Paper for Agriculture.

The White Paper shows government working to reduce unnecessary regulation and create a culture of innovation, rather than adding burdensome red tape.

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Importance of Agchem industry recognised The Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper seeks to provide a long-term vision for a strong and productive farming sector.

The White Paper’s $4billion worth of investments includes an important commitment to reducing red tape and unnecessary regulation. Proper implementation of the White Paper’s

policies is essential to farmers seeing real outcomes from these initiatives.

Policies such as the $20.4 million allocated to streamline agricultural and veterinary chemical approvals, must be properly administered by the Department of Agriculture so that Australian farmers see real value from the changes.

Policies in White Paper promise benefits such as reduced red tape for Australian farmers

While the White Paper has outlined a vision and introduces steps towards a more competitive and resilient agriculture sector, a bright future for farmers depends upon on-going bipartisan support and management of the agriculture industry over the long-term.

What is a Minor Use and Specialty Crops program?

The Minor Use and Specialty Crops program is a necessary initiative to fund development, which allows access to agricultural chemicals in the Australian crop protection market.

The program addresses the market failure caused by the costs of regulation for a smaller Australian market, due to the proportionately larger cost for developing data and registering products. The Minor

Use and Specialty Crops program aims to improve responsible and effective chemical product usage while also enabling more environmentally friendly pest-management practices.

productivity and diversity, the Australian Government announced an initial funding of $8 million in the 2014–15 Federal Budget to implement the program.

Similar programs in the United States have returned more than US$500 to the economy for every US$1 invested.

Following a 2013 Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences report that a lack of support was damaging Australia’s

A properly funded Minor Use and Specialty Crops program can safeguard Australian agriculture by increasing its productivity and diversity by ensuring that Australian farmers have access to a wide range of crop protection technologies.

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Crop Protection Delivering these…

Rather than these…

The food many of us eat would be unrecognisable and less appetising without the use of pesticides

The many benefits of crop protection While farmers globally have successfully used crop protection products for their many benefits for decades, many underestimate the full extent of their importance.

Crop protection products have been proven to improve food quality, keep people healthy, protect the environment and make significant contributions to both the Australian and global economies.

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Much of the world’s crop, vegetable, fruit and nut yields are protected by crop protection products. While offering consumers more choices for food that is safer, more nutritious and more affordable than ever before, crop protection products also combat global malnutrition, starvation and help low income families in developing countries afford more fresh foods and vegetables.

Crop protection products have big impacts on the world’s health. Foods are protected from the detrimental effects of pests that can damage people’s health.

Pesticides also safeguard public health by controlling or eliminating pests that cause diseases such as Malaria, Lyme disease and the West Nile virus.

Pesticides can also assist farmers to produce higher yields while reducing the need for natural resources such as land

and water use. By reducing the demands on the environment, crop protection products play an important part in allowing sustainable agricultural practices.

An independent report by Deloitte Access Economics in 2013, Economic activity attributable to crop protection products, found that up to $17.6 billion of Australian agricultural output is attributable to crop protection products, which is up to 68 per cent of the total value of crop production. Without pesticides, Australian farmers would miss out on an added $0.84 of value for every dollar of their output.

Without pesticides, the world would be much poorer, less healthy and lacking in the food, feed and fibre required to meet growing demand. Crop protection products are important tools for more sustainable and productive farming.

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New horizons in crop protection— biologicals Every year around the world pests and disease causing insects, fungi and bacteria destroy millions of tons of crops that are meant for human or animal consumption. Without appropriate tools to protect crops from these attacks, farmers can potentially lose as much as 50 per cent of their annual crop production and a significant number of crops would not be able to be commercially grown in Australia.

associated production losses. Significant research and development has, and will continue to be undertaken globally to identify these organisms, consisting of viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, or insects, and develop products to suppress pests and diseases in crops.

A new and interesting area that the plant science industry has been significantly investing in recently is biologically based crop protection products. In nature, plants are assisted by populations of organisms that are the naturally occurring enemies of unwanted pests and pathogens. Most often, these populations are too small or develop too late to protect plants, resulting in diseased or damaged crops and the

Farming systems won’t be able to rely solely on biological crop protection products. New and innovative agricultural chemical crop protection products will remain the foundation of sustainable agricultural productivity, ably supported by new technologies, providing a suite of crop protection tools in a best-practice strategy for effective and sustainable crop protection.

Organisms capable of eradicating specific pests have existed since the beginning of life on earth. Recent breakthroughs in technology have delivered cost effective mass production of consistently efficacious biological crop protection products, with improved packaging that provides sufficient shelf life and easy handling by end users.

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Organisms such as lady bugs can help plants by suppressing pests and disease

In nature, plants are assisted by populations of organisms that are the naturally occurring enemies of unwanted pests and pathogens.

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Crop Biotechnology

New varieties of GM Canola in the pipeline offer more choice for Australian growers

New GM crop R&D product pipeline promises bright future

New thinking, new discoveries and new applications at ABIC 2015

The release of CropLife International’s 2015 Plant Biotechnology Product Pipeline provides important information about the future of GM crop products.

The Pipeline includes new innovations in agricultural biotechnology in development for each specific crop, including new varieties of cotton and canola crops.

Australian farmers, who will plant more than 436,000 hectares of GM canola in 2015 up from 350,000 hectares in 2014, will soon have the choice to grow canola with improved nutritional traits such as higher oil quality, healthier fatty acids, increased protein and higher nutrient density for feed.

The Pipeline also includes new herbicide tolerant and new insect resistant varieties of cotton, which will offer additional options to Australian cotton farmers who already primarily use GM cotton.

The benefits of innovations in the Pipeline add further weight to the well-established case for Australian farmers choosing GM crops because of economic advantages from improved yields, as well as environmental benefits like reduced carbon dioxide emissions, fuel usage and tillage. For more information, please visit the CropLife Australia website.

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The Agricultural Bioscience International Conference (ABIC) 2015 will be held in Melbourne from 7–9 September 2015.

ABIC 2015 is the premier global meeting promoting innovation in bioscience to ensure sustainable food, feed, fibre and fuel security as the climate changes.

The conference has confirmed over 25 international speakers and over 60 per cent of registered delegates from overseas giving delegates a great opportunity to meet with professionals from Australia and around the world.

Recently, the program committee announced that the conference would hear from one of the top 100 influential people in Biotechnology today, Jack Bobo, Senior Adviser, Office of

Agricultural Policy, US Department of State. Jack will examine global trends in food and agriculture, the interplay between food safety and public perception of risk, and the key role of science communication in addressing public perceptions if we are to address the global challenges we all face.

CropLife Australia is proud to be lead partner for the conference.

ABIC 2015 is a significant event for the global plant science industry and it is extremely exciting that it is being held in Australia this year.

For more information, please contact Kirsty Grimwade, National Conference and Event Manager, kgrimwade@ausbiotech.org

Friend of the Future Farmers Network The Future Farmers Network (FFN is the only national network specifically for young people in Australia involved in all aspects of the rural industries.

Through support and empowerment, FFN members are provided industry intelligence, a source of educational opportunities and professional

development, as well as access to the FFN community and wider network of industry leaders.

CropLife Australia is a proud Friend of the Future Farmers Network.

For more information about the FFN visit www.futurefarmers.com.au

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Australian farmers are increasingly embracing GM crops such as GM cotton

Australian farmers growing GM crops gain US$885 million Australian farmers have reaped major economic and environmental benefits from the use of crop biotechnologies, according to an independent report titled ‘GM Crops: global socio-economic and environmental impacts 1996–2013’, released by PG Economics earlier this year, that reviewed the impact of GM crops over 18 years of widespread adoption.

Australian farmers using GM canola or cotton saw an additional US$885 million in farm income benefits over the period covered by the report. Farmers who used GM cotton, which makes up the majority of cotton production in Australia, had a net farm income gain of more than US$97 million in 2013, with reduced costs equivalent to an annual production increase of more than 5 per cent.

In 2013, the average Australian farmer growing GM canola had an average net increase in gross margins of US$60.66 per hectare, which is a national increase of more than US$13 million.

These major economic gains from increased productivity are one of the reasons that Australian farmers are

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choosing to use the safe, innovative technologies over conventional crops Farmers from all around the world have also benefitted from crop biotechnology. In 2013, GM crops were a smart investment for farmers globally who received an average return of US$4.04 for every dollar invested into biotechnology.

Additionally, GM crops have contributed to reducing the release of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural practices by 28 billion kilograms and reducing the need to use more than 18 million hectares of land to sustain global food demands.

Crop biotechnologies are backed by a wealth of evidence that proves the benefits and necessity of agricultural biotechnology for Australia and the world.

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Industry Stewardship

drumMUSTER collects chemical containers and transforms them into useful materials for new objects

Farmers and communities called on to boost recycling For the last 16 years, thousands of chemical users have relied on Agsafe’s drumMUSTER program to dispose of their empty agvet chemical containers. During this time, the program has recycled over 25.4 million drums and continues to be the most successful agvet container recycling program in Australia. drumMUSTER National Program Manager, Allan McGann, said the program has come a long way since its first collection in early 1999. “We started with yearly collections of around one million containers, but are now edging towards

drumMUSTER and ChemClear are industry stewardship programs run

by CropLife Australia’s wholly owned subsidiary Agsafe. The programs are run as part of the Industry Waste Reduction Scheme (IWRS).

Participating members in the IWRS are CropLife Australia, Animal Medicines Australia, Veterinary Manufacturers and Distributors Association, the National Farmers’ Federation and the Australian Local Government Association.

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two million containers per annum.

This goes to show the growing support drumMUSTER has garnered. We’ve established ourselves as a valuable program for farmers and growers and we’re here to stay.”

Mangrove Mountain Rural Fire Depot has collected over 3900 drums since it was established in 2004. The collection site, which is open by appointment only, is now calling on the local community to deliver their empty drums to prevent them from ending up in landfill. Once collected, the containers are shredded

or granulated and transformed into new products like plastic cable covers, wheelie bins, road signs and bollards. drumMUSTER is an important industry stewardship program run by Agsafe as part of the Industry Waste Reduction Scheme (IWRS).

The IWRS is a joint venture of CropLife Australia, Animal Medicines Australia, Veterinary Manufacturers and Distributors Association, National Farmers’ Federation and the Australian Local Government Association.

Agsafe appoints new general manager Agsafe has appointed Alison Carmichael as the new General Manager, replacing Martin Shafron who has retired. Ms Carmichael has extensive experience in membership based and not-for-profit organisations in a range of roles and has qualifications in agriculture. Her executive experience has been in industry organisations such as irrigation and energy efficiency, and with a professional body for foresters, all having accreditation and certification programs, with training and professional development programs underpinning

the accreditation. In her consultancy business, Ms Carmichael facilitated planning and evaluation processes for National Resource Management committees, Landcare and agricultural commodity groups, and oversaw development of training collateral for chemical use, farm forestry, Agsafe’s new irrigation and rural General Manager, Alison Carmichael water metering.

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international perspective

How plant science is keeping India’s crops safe India’s farmers are hard at work. Not only do they help to feed a nation that contains 1.3 billion people—one fifth of the world’s population—but they also produce around 20 per cent of the world’s cotton. Their productivity, however, is threatened by pests that can ruin their crops and their livelihoods. Here’s a glimpse of how plant science is helping reduce the threat.

According to a recently released study titled ‘Second Green Revolution—Agriculture to Agribusiness,’ by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, annual crop losses due to pests and diseases amount to Rs.50,000 crore (US$500 billion). Given the benefits of crop protection are so significant, small-scale farmers across India are trained in the responsible use of crop protection products.

India is also well known for its cotton production and is the second biggest cotton producer in the world. Plant science plays a vital role at keeping insects at bay to keep cotton production and quality high. In 2002, India’s farmers planted their first biotech crop, an insect‑resistant cotton variety, which protects the plants from the specific insects that can destroy cotton crops.

Today, Bt cotton accounts for more than 90 per cent of cotton grown in India and the impact has been impressive—according to the 2012 study ’Economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt cotton in India’ by Kathage and Qaim, Bt cotton has helped India’s smallholder farmers increase yield by 24 per cent and raise their incomes by 50 per cent.

Plant science is keeping India’s crops safe.

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Bt cotton has helped India’s smallholder farmers by increasing their yields and incomes.

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News and Events

Australian agriculture students recently visited the northern Philippines to learn from local farmers as part of a study tour aimed at supporting up-and-coming growers and agronomists. The 20 Australian agriculture students met with small landholder farmers to share farming context and challenges in Australia and in return, learn from the Filipino participants.

As part of the 2015 Connections Program, now in its fifth year, students were exposed to the latest technology in rice research and field testing at the renowned International Rice Research Institute.

In June this year, Bayer CropScience and the Grains Research & Development Corporation signed a five-year agreement to join forces to establish the Herbicide Innovation Partnership for the discovery and development of innovative weed management solutions.

The major aim is to provide growers with new technologies to manage resistant weeds and support the sustainability of modern crop production systems.

The partnership also includes a postdoc program, which will help expand scientific know-how among Australian researchers by providing training in advanced industrial research techniques.

Australian farmers continue to embrace GM technology in greater numbers and have now planted more than 1.5 million hectares of Roundup Ready® canola since its introduction in 2008.

More than 436,000 hectares of GM canola will be planted this year, up from nearly 350,000 hectares last year. GM canola varieties now make up 22 per cent of the canola planted in the states that allow GM canola to be grown—New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.

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Dow AgroSciences (DAS) launched a Corporate Citizenship initiative last year to participate in a global Network partnership with AMPATH (www.ampathkenya.org), a consortium of 17 North American Universities led by Indiana University School of Medicine.

The purpose is to engage DAS employees who volunteer their time and expertise to help solve challenges of food security and hunger in developing economies.

Dow AgroSciences is delighted that Sarah Russell French (DAS ANZ Product Stewardship and Sustainability Leader) has returned from a six-month assignment.

Colin Sharpe retires from Dow AgroSciences After a 45-year career with Dow AgroSciences, Colin Sharpe has elected to retire.

He started in 1970 with Ivon Watkins Colin Sharpe retiring after Dow in New Zealand a 45-year career in the and has held roles in plant science industry field R&D, regulatory and government and public affairs across ANZ and into the Asia–Pacific Region.

In 1998, Colin was seconded to CropLife Australia for a three-year period where he was instrumental in the industry effort to negotiate an acceptable outcome for the Gene Technology Act 2000 and amendments to data protection for agricultural chemicals.

Colin has received numerous industry and company awards for his efforts in improving regulatory policies and procedures, including the CropLife Australia President’s Award in 2011 for his contributions to the Australian Plant Science Industry.

It has been a pleasure for many of us to work with Colin and his credibility and reputation have been a great asset to Dow AgroSciences and the wider agricultural community. Dow AgroSciences and the broader industry thank Colin for all his contributions.

BASF is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year and has launched a new agricultural solutions research farm in Tamworth, New South Wales. Research at the farm will focus on developing a wide range of cropping solutions in representative Australian conditions, with the capacity to conduct over 100 trials at a time. The facility will enable Australian growers to more readily access cutting edge solutions across a range of economically valuable crops, to meet their future challenges.

Adama have announced their inaugural Young Agronomist of the Year Award, which looks for Australia’s best young agronomist. The award formally recognises the significant contribution young agronomists make to the success of Australian farming.

“At Adama we take great pride in the new innovations and technologies we deliver to the Australian market, but without a strong distribution and agronomy network to deliver these innovations the potential gains may never be realised.

That’s why we have created this award to help promote the great job Australia’s young agronomists are doing”, said Adama General Manager for Marketing, Adam Phelan.

In October this year Sumitomo Chemical will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

From a fertilizer factory employing 50 people in 1915 to a diversified global chemical company today employing 37,000 people, Sumitomo Chemical has been at the front line during a century of industrial and technological revolution.

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CropLife hosts fifth annual Agricultural Industry Budget Breakfast The fifth annual CropLife Agricultural Industry Budget Breakfast was recently held at the National Press Club in Canberra.

The increasing importance of agriculture to Australia’s economic prosperity was highlighted by the large turnout at the event, including Members of Parliament, Senators, senior public servants and regulators, industry leaders in the agriculture and food sectors. and diplomats.

The audience was addressed by the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, CropLife Vice President, Daniel Kruithoff and CropLife Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Cossey. The speakers all emphasised the impressive contributions of, and the need for a long-term vision for the Australian agriculture sector.

In opening the Breakfast, Mr Cossey commended the Australian Government for its deregulation agenda that is already providing outcomes for agriculture.

He emphasised the essential role that government has to play in facilitating a competitive and productive agricultural industry in Australia and how Minister Joyce’s genuine enthusiasm for agriculture has delivered renewed focus on farming issues by the Australian Government.

(L–R) Mr Daniel Kruithoff, Vice President of CropLife Australia and Managing Director of Monsanto, Mr Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, Minister for Agriculture, Darrin Hines, CropLife Australia board member and Chief Executive Officer of Adama Australia

(L–R) The Hon Darren Chester MP, Member for Gippsland, Mr Brent Finlay, President of the National Farmers’ Federation, Mr Simon Talbot, Chief Executive Officer of the National Farmers’ Federation

Minister Joyce commended CropLife Australia for its continued leadership in hosting the event, which provided industry an opportunity to hear directly from the Minister on specific agricultural components of the Federal Budget and the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper.

Mr Kruithoff thanked Minister Joyce and expressed his pride in the contribution the plant science industry made to Australian agriculture by providing best tools and products for their farming systems. He said innovation in all sectors of agriculture was the foundation for future growth and competitiveness.

The Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, Minister for Agriculture, addresses the National Press Club at the CropLife Annual Agricultural Industry Budget Breakfast

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CropLife Australia is the peak organisation representing the best of Australia’s plant science and crop protection product companies.

CropLife ensures world’s best stewardship and responsible use of the industry’s products through its code of conduct and has set a benchmark for industry stewardship through programs such as drumMUSTER, ChemClear and Agsafe Accreditation and Training.

That is why you can have full confidence when dealing with a CropLife member company.

CropLife represents Australia’s leading innovators, developers, manufacturers, formulators and registrants of crop protection and agricultural biotechnology products.

CropLife Australia is part of the CropLife International Federation, representing the plant science sector in 91 countries around the world.

C r o pl i f e A u s t r al i a L i m i t e d t 02 6230 6399 f 02 6230 6355 w www.croplife.org.au

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