NORTH EAST AND GOULBURN MURRAY
Part of the Farmer Group Rural Newspapers Covering Victoria Published since 1984
37 Rowan Street, Wangaratta 3677
JUNE, 2014
PAGES 25-26
PAGES 20-23
year SPECIALS
$1 at newsagents
FINANCIAL
PAGE 15
Frost Control
Wine tax untouched in budget Agricultural industry spared harsh ¿ QDQFLDO FXWV LQ µWRXJK ORYH¶ PRYHV
'DLU\ FRPSDQ\ DGGV PLOOLRQ µFUHDP¶ WR &REUDP PLON EXFNHW DEVONDALE Murray Goulburn’s $91 million investment in its Cobram facility (above) will deliver state-of-the-art technology for processing and packaging a range of dairy foods destined for Australian and Asian consumers. The Cobram investment is a
large portion of a $127 million capital investment and part of the company’s five-year plan to rejuvenate its manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure in the key product areas – nutritional powders, cheese and liquid milk. Among the investments will be a $74 million injection
toward building a world-class cheese cut-and-wrap facility at Cobram in the next 12 to 18 months. An additional $17 million will be spent to optimise capacity for nutritional product manufactiuring, enabling DMG to produce a wider range of high-value foods.
THE wine industry breathed a sigh of relief as wine taxes were left untouched by the Federal Government’s tough budget, as high exchange rates, a consolidated retail sector and a high cost base continue to plague local producers. Winemakers’ Federation of Australia chief executive Paul Evans said a recent industry review revealed very low levels of profitability across the wine sector and many cases of local businesses operating below cost despite Australia producing “a truly globally competitive” product.
BY JODIE FLEMING
jfleming@ nenews.com.au
“The last thing the Australian wine industry needs right now is a tax hike and the federation has advocated strongly on this matter, so we welcome the fact that common sense has prevailed in Canberra,” Mr Evans said. The wine group had set out an action plan to maintain the sector’s global competitiveness that would boost profitabil-
ity through a global marketing strategy. “This plan recommends responsible reform to the (wine) rebate to ensure it continues to deliver its original policy intent of supporting small and medium wine businesses and regional communities,” Mr Evans said. “These measures include stopping New Zealand winemakers from claiming a rebate of up to $500,000 every year for the wine they sell in Australia – and this is an opportunity for reform the Federal Government must not delay further. Continued page 3
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