From the Chair

BY OWEN MENKENS,Chairman, CANEGROWERS

It has been a challenging start to the crushing this year.

We have seen industrial action at the Wilmar and Tully mills following a breakdown in negotiations for a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA). This has pushed back the season finish dates for a lot of districts which is a big concern for many growers.

EBA negotiations are not something that CANEGROWERS is normally involved with, but when these discussions break down it is the growers that have to bear the brunt of the costs involved in the longer season.

Therefore, the chairmen of the districts involved and I have been meeting regularly to help work through solutions. We have also been in contact with senior management of the mills and the unions providing them with specific data around the costs to growers that come about when the season is extended or not completed. At this stage there has been no final agreement, and the parties remain in negotiations however the mills are running which is some positive news.

The other major issue heading into the start of the crush has been the position for Mossman mill and more importantly the growers who supply it. After an enormous number of negotiations, the cane from Mossman will be crushed at Mulgrave mill after a three-way deal was struck between the growers, MSF and the Queensland Government. This was achieved by the incredible effort and actions undertaken by CANEGROWERS Mossman board members, CANEGROWERS Mossman district manager

Evelyn Matthews and CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan. They should be congratulated for their effort.

It is still unclear what will happen to the mill going forward but with the leadership of CANEGROWERS Mossman I feel confident about the future. When we choose to represent growers, it is never easy but putting the interests of the growers and industry first is at the forefront of our decisionmaking process.

At the time of writing, I am in transit from the World Association of Cane and Beet Growers (WABCG) conference in Fargo, North Dakota. This conference brings together sugarcane and beet farmers from all over the world to discuss issues affecting our industry. All of the representatives are also farmers and all look to put the interests of their industry forward for the benefit of their growers.

We are facing similar challenges whether that be government or market based. The annual WBACG Conference is a great opportunity to learn about how others around the world deal with these issues, so I can do my job here better. The good news is that it does not look like production is increasing anywhere in the world and given consumption is increasing it does bode well for the price going forward.

I wish all of you the best for the start of the crush.