THE SOUTHERN
Part of the Farmer Group Rural Newspapers Covering Victoria Published since 1986
JULY, 2015
486 Whitehorse Road, Surrey Hills, 3127
138th Australian Sheep & Wool Show
FINES FOR NOT USING NLIS TAGS PAGE 3
NUTRITION AND IMMUNITY KEY TO GOOD TRANSITION
LIFT-OUT
PAGE 18
Origin of food is more important than politics Industry body says Aussies have the right to know where their food comes from
CUTE AS A LAMB:
The Australian Sheep Breeders’ Association will be highlighting the youth sections of this year’s Australian Sheep & Wool Show to be held in Bendigo from Friday, July 17 to Sunday, July 19. The junior judging and schools competition provides a showcase for the best and brightest young farmers who are working toward a future in farming. See inside for liftout.
PEAK Australian vegetable industry body AUSVEG has one message for Opposition leader Bill Shorten and the Labor Party – “step up to the plate and take a stand” and publicly put Labor’s position on reforms to Australia’s country-of-origin labelling system. AUSVEG is calling on the ALP to step away from partisan politics and put its view on the reforms after Mr Shorten recently suggested that the Federal Government had failed to do something about country-of-origin labelling reform. The government has committed to reforming labelling laws and has released a community survey as part of its national consultation process working to identify key areas to be addressed. The government has commissioned six new countryof-origin labels which could be used on food packaging in Australia in a step towards a clearer and easily understood labelling system. The concepts laid out by the government include having a bar, pie chart or a map of Australia coloured to identify the proportion of ingredients that
BY JODIE FLEMING
jfleming@ nemedia.com.au
are Australian, as well as text indicating both whether the product was made in Australia and whether the ingredients are ‘more than’ or ‘less than 50 per cent local ingredients’. AUSVEG deputy chief executive officer Andrew White said the issue should be bigger than partisan politics and its time the ALP “stepped up to the plate” and put a strong position of its own. “AUSVEG is yet see a formal public policy commitment from the ALP on food labelling, despite the process of reforming the current system receiving broad support from a number of other political parties and independent politicians,” he said. “We are now closer than ever to seeing something done and we’d like to see the ALP show its hand on this issue.” Mr White said that there was widespread public support for doing something meaningful to change country-of-origin labelling laws. Continued page 4
Call the professionals today for on the spot service, genuine parts and advice
a division of Norwood Agriculture
“The complete agricultural driveline solution”
FACTORY 3, 16-20 DINGLEY AVE., DANDENONG 3175
PH. (03) 9794 5889 FAX (03) 9794 0272
Email: bypy@bypy.com.au Web: www.bypy.com.au For emergency A/H service call (03) 9794 5889
t/05d05777-v11/45-13
Trust only Bondioli & Pavesi and Bima for
g ting the farmin Proudly suppor nce 1950 community si