Wednesday, July 1, 2009
MEDIA RELEASE All systems go, for new North West Food and Beverage Producers’ Network Grass won’t be growing under the feet of the members of the newly formed North West Food and Beverage Producers’ Network, if local farmer and interim Chairman, Michael Badcock has a say in matters. Formed at a standing-room only meeting in Ulverstone in late May, the Network has already held several meetings and more recently conducted a half-day planning workshop to further its cause of highlighting the strong link between food and beverage production excellence and visitor attraction to the North West. Speaking shortly after the planning workshop, Mr Badcock said the broad representation of people with various skills who attended the session, was a key indicator of the likely success of the Network. He said a process had now been put in place that would develop a corporate Network that could then be taken to industry for agreement. “This Network plans to make membership available to all sectors of our industry, developing a database for inter-network communications between growers, restaurants and tourism operators so that a whole of Tasmania theme in marketing and promoting our island State can be co-ordinated,” Mr Badcock said. “The original ten-person planning committee has now been expanded to include further skills-based members who will now look at the workshop’s outcomes and develop a draft vision and structure to take back to industry for ratification,” he said. “This committee feels that time is of the essence in moving forward so another meeting will be held as soon as possible”. Cradle Coast Authority’s Regional Tourism Development Manager Ian Waller said the Network would continue to be supported by the Authority during the planning phase.
• Interim Chair of the Network, Michael Badcock • Cradle Coast Authority Cradle Coast Authority
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