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JANUARY, 2014 PAGES 15-22
Beef Week
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PAGES 24-25
International Dairy Week
PAGES 30-31
Fire Awareness
Family is dairy’s future Union boss’s ignorant comments offend dairy industry president
LEADING THE WAY: Violet Town Merino sheep breeder Simon Riddle has been chosen to participate in the Australian Wool Innovation’s and Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders’ 2014 Breeding Leadership course. Simon’s aim is to make farming sustainable so his children, Matilda, 4 and Charlie, 7 are able to take over the family farm in the future. See page 13 for full story
S O L A R
Allister Neely or Steve Cole
BY JODIE FLEMING
jfleming@ nenews.com.au
that’s why ADF continues to advocate for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that provide meaningful commercial opportunities with key market partners, including China, Japan and Korea,” Mr Campbell said. “This is the real priority for our industry, not who owns our farms or how big they are, as we seek to capitalise on the opportunities that the rise of Asia presents us.” The recent free trade deal that the Federal Government has made with Korea is a step forward on the path towards further trade liberalisation in Asia according to the ADF. “Korea is a significant dairy market for Australia and currently ranks tenth by value with $88 million worth of exports in 2012/2013,” Mr Campbell said. “The commercial reality of this is that Australian dairy liberalisation will be five to seven years behind key trade rivals, the US and EU. Continued page 26
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AUSTRALIAN Dairy Farmers (ADF) has accused Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Howes of being out of touch with modern day farming after comments he made stating that the era of “ma and pa farming” in Australia needs to end if the nation is to position itself as the food bowl of Asia. ADF president Noel Campbell described Mr Howes’ comments as a simplistic thought bubble that contributes little to the dairy industry or agriculture in general. “Let’s be clear, we’re not talking the Beverley Hillbillies – the family-owned enterprises comprise over 90 per cent of farm ownership in an industry that directly employs 43,000 Australians and generates $13 billion in exports every year,” Mr Campbell said. “The family-owned farm remains the backbone of our industry and nothing that Mr Howes thinks or says will fundamentally alter that fact,” he said. Mr Campbell said Mr Howes’ use of the description “ma and pa farming” demonstrated how out of touch he is with modern day farming. “We need action, not glib one-liners, to help unlock Asia’s trade potential and
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