Fresh Source Summer 2020

Summer 2020 Issue

71

LABOUR shortages

p8

Remembering THE 2011 FLOOD

p18

Exports

BREAK RECORDS

p37

The magazine of

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CEO comment Reflecting on the flood January 2021 will mark a decade since the Brisbane Markets was hit with flood waters. In the wake of that devastating event of 11 January 2011, what we saw was a community coming together to recover from tragedy and participate in an enormous clean-up effort that was both time consuming and costly.

Life at the markets has changed a lot since that time, but that sense of community continues. You can read about the flood and its clean up on pages 18 to 21.

Government focus While labour shortages due to COVID-19 have hogged the headlines recently, water security and the ongoing drought remain top concerns for growers across the state, with the issue receiving some attention in the Federal Budget (page 12) and the Queensland state elections (page 6).

The story on page 6 highlights a number of the election pledges made which will benefit the fresh produce industry. There has been a focus on water and water infrastructure, which is critical for our regional communities.

There must also be a focus on greatly expanding markets for fresh produce and building the role of existing distribution channels to support that growth.

In this regard, BML has spoken to both sides of politics for numerous years about the role of government in supporting efficient and effective access to phytosanitary treatments. This must be part of the discussion regarding the future growth of the industry.

The ever-popular Brisbane Produce Market Forklift Operator of the Year event went ahead and you can read the results and get a glimpse of the action on pages 22 and 23.

Labour issues As you can see on pages 7 to 9, a range of solutions are being floated to find Australians, seasonal workers and backpackers to pick this summer’s harvest.

Back in August, we said that if worker shortages weren’t addressed quickly the lack of labour would impact the whole supply chain and, in particular, consumers.

The horticulture industry has been extremely proactive in trying to find solutions and it now falls to government to listen to grower concerns and implement a workable resolution.

Here’s to 2021 I think many of us will be thankful to see the back of 2020 and are hoping that as we draw a close on a challenging year that we will be able to put it behind us. Whether that is possible or not, I hope you are able to reflect on your achievements and spend time with your loved ones.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Andrew Young, Chief Executive Officer, BML and Brismark

COVID-19 and Brisbane Markets As COVID-19 restrictions ease across the country, life at Brisbane Markets has returned to some sense of normality.

Brisbane Markets Limited was very fortunate to finish the 2020 financial year with a solid result, which you can read about further on page 14.

We also completed our latest major project, with the new Building E1 warehouse now officially in the hands of the tenant, J.H. Leavy & Co (see page 16).

In July, our Sunday Discovery Market reopened and, in November, Public Entry to the Brisbane Produce Market resumed on Fridays.

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE

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Contents 6 Fresh Updates 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 11 12 12

Election pledges in the spotlight Recruiting begins for Harvest Army Growers hit crunch time for workers Looking to the Pacific Islands for pickers Enticing Australian workers Bringing back the backpackers Paradise Dam dilemma puts investments on hold Protecting existing water a priority Dam dreams becoming reality La Niña brings rain Devastation leads to innovation on the Granite Belt Water security on the federal agenda New case brings Tully tally to five

14 Fresh Markets 14 Brisbane Markets Limited fortunate to achieve solid end-of- year result 15 Brismark Board speaks of success at 2020 AGM 15 Brisbane Markets Limited receives safety commendation 15 Testing begins for forklift operators 16 Another milestone warehouse development completed 17 Bumper season for local cherries

18 Feature: Remembering the 2011 flood 22 Feature: Forklift Operator of the Year

24 Feature: Meet our Wholesalers 24 Meet the Brisbane Produce Market wholesalers 24 Who is Brismark?

24 Ten tips for working with a wholesaler

26 Fresh Perspectives 26 Communication and innovation provides clear path to success

30 Fresh Retailing 30 32 32 32

New face behind national retail program Spring Fresh campaign a success Join the ABC family Live your Life Virtual Expo

33 Fresh Industry 33 34 34 35 35

Milich named marketer of the year Members vote to update Hort Innovation’s Constitution Working through the challenges of 2020 Barnard takes hold of the reins at Growcom Snapshot shows importance of water security for the Wide Bay Burnett

36 Fresh Export 36 37 38 38

Mangoes fly high Record-breaking year for Australian exports Potato growers big winners in Thailand Table grapes exports hit record high

BRISBANE MARKETS LIMITED | ABN 39 064 983 017 PO Box 80, Brisbane Markets®, Rocklea, Queensland 4106 E communications@brisbanemarkets.com.au W www.brisbanemarkets.com.au ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Editor: Seren Trump, Brisbane Markets Limited P 07 3915 4200 E communications@brisbanemarkets.com.au DESIGN Effigy Creative P 07 3040 4343 | PRINT Buckner Printing P 07 3865 9677

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Fresh Source is the magazine of Brisbane Markets Limited. New editions of the magazine are printed three times a year. Advertising and editorial inquiries are welcome and media outlets are invited to use material without acknowledgement. Fresh Source is printed on Australian made recycled stock.

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Election pledges in the spotlight All eyes are now on returned Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to see if she makes good on the promises made during the Queensland election campaign.

Those promises include $20 million in upgrades to the Mount Lindesay Highway and a $1 billion pipeline of train manufacturing to be based in Maryborough. The government also pledged to crack down on land clearing, and pledged $30 million to reward landholders and primary producers for reducing emissions through a land restoration fund.

In a move of particular importance for growers, Labor has pledged to invest $50 million to reduce irrigation water bills by at least 15% for all irrigators, with fruit and vegetable growers set to receive a 50% cut to their irrigation water charges. Price drops are expected to start from 1 July 2021.

Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister, Anthony Lynham, said the decision would make a real difference for Queensland farmers.

“For our fruit and veg growers, it means increased productivity and profitability, and more jobs on their farms,” he said.

Growcom CEO, Stephen Barnard, said it was pleasing to see a focus on expanding the production of fruits, vegetables and nuts, given the enormous number of jobs these industries create in rural and regional Queensland.

“We are excited by the commitment from a returned Palaszczuk Government of a 50% cut to the price of water over three years where fruits, vegetables and nuts are being produced,” Mr Barnard said.

“This commitment will come as welcome relief to some growers, and for many more it will create a great deal of optimism. For the first time in a long while growers on irrigation schemes will be considering expanding their operations.”

Another election pledge crucial to rural and regional areas is the promise to build a new highway, inland through Queensland from Charters Towers to the NSW border, to reduce trucks on the Bruce Highway.

The $200 million election pledge requires the federal government to chip in an additional $800 million for the

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And the winner is: Annastacia Palaszczuk has won a third term as Queensland’s Premier.

project. The funding would also include the upgrade of roads and bridges between Townsville and Roma to support heavy vehicles on the inland route.

According to Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey, the upgraded freight route would allow an alternative when the Bruce Highway was cut off during extreme weather events and shave “four to five hours” off a trip to Melbourne.

“The Queensland Trucking Association and RACQ have advocated strongly for this because they know it makes economic sense,” he said.

Recruiting begins for Harvest Army On the Granite Belt, growers are calling out for Australian workers to join their Harvest Army.

COVID-19 has become an additional, unwelcome burden for the growers who are still facing an ongoing drought in their region. According to Granite Belt Growers Association (GBGA) President, Angus Ferrier, the campaign seeks to fill more than 4,000 seasonal jobs in the region from now until May 2021 and there has been a strong response with over 600 inquiries so far.

“We take our summer production responsibilities very seriously and are determined not to leave produce in the field due to labour shortages,” Mr Ferrier said.

“Local growers have committed $10,000 of their own funds so far to target displaced Australian workers, school leavers, university students and backpackers. We don’t care where the workers come from,

we just seek motivated people willing to have a go in horticulture.”

future years and generations, there’s going to be a need for home-grown specialists and professionals to work in our industry.”

While there are a number of other initiatives to promote picking in Queensland, the GBGA wanted to create a campaign to attract workers as a benefit to the organisation’s members, as well as explicitly saying when, where and what jobs were available in the region.

For more information or to apply for seasonal work on the Granite Belt, visit granitebeltgrowers.com.au/jobs/.

Initially aimed at promoting job opportunities for the 2020/21 summer growing season, the GBGA expects the campaign to be ongoing to ensure the region stays front of mind for those considering work in horticulture.

“It’s a misconception to say that our industry only employs foreign workers; we’d welcome more involvement from an Australian workforce,” he said.

“Horticulture is a really dynamic industry, there is a role for everyone and anyone provided they are willing, physically able and enthusiastic enough to come and give it a go.

“It’s highly technical work and an essential industry above all else. In

Granite Belt Recruiting workers: the produced has n atio Growers Associ encourage Australians to cs phi gra ble rea sha st Army. to sign up to their Harve

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Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE

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Updates

Growers hit crunch time for workers Ernst & Young’s report into horticulture’s workforce needs confirmed what everyone in the industry already knew: Australia is facing a dire shortage of farm workers and pickers.

The report, ‘Seasonal horticulture demand and workforce study’, was commissioned by Hort Innovations and released in late September. It found that the casual labour gap in Australian horticulture will increase from November and reach a peak in March 2021, with up to 26,000 workers required across Australia.

Seven key production regions are predicted to be hardest hit by the worker shortages caused by COVID-19, including Cairns and the Wide Bay in Queensland.

According to the report, in the UK only 25% of the normal 60,000 casual labourers were expected to arrive in 2020, with local organisations launching job-matching schemes to connect the unemployed with jobs in the agriculture sector. Likewise, France has forecast a shortage of 200,000 casual labourers before the end of 2020.

If international border closures remain in force beyond March 2021, labour gaps could be much longer and higher.

The issue has received some attention in the Federal Budget but only time will tell if these initiatives will provide practical assistance.

The study highlighted that fruit commodities were likely to make up around 85% of the demand for labour, driven by higher labour intensity and higher reliance on the casual workforce.

In Queensland, the report identified strawberries, bananas and capsicums as the commodities with the highest labour demand, and the state requires between 2,900 and 5,100 casual workers each month. Victoria has the highest demand, with between 1,500 and 22,600 workers required each month.

On average, growers expect to be able to fill only six out of every ten short term roles over the next six to twelve months.

The report identified two major peaks in labour demand over the next 18 months, which represent peak harvest times in VIC, QLD and NSW, being January to April 2021 and July to December 2021.

The impact of COVID-19, stay at home orders, and state and international border closures isn’t a uniquely Australian issue.

Looking to the Pacific Islands for pickers The Seasonal Worker Program allows workers from Pacific Island countries to work in agriculture for up to nine months and the Ernst & Young report found that there were at least 4,000 fewer than usual Seasonal Worker Program visas issued in 2020.

In August, the federal government announced the restart of the program with an initial pilot program bringing in 162 workers from Vanuatu to assist with the harvest of mangoes in the Northern Territory after completing their 14-days mandatory quarantine in September.

The trial relied on the NT mango industry paying the $2,500 quarantine fee for each worker on top of the cost of the chartered flight from Vanuatu. A second contingent of 161 workers from Vanuatu arrived in October.

Tyson Cattle, AUSVEG National Manger – Public Affairs and Farmers’ Federation Horticulture Council executive officer, said there was no quick fix for the labour situation.

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Horticulture worker shortages are being felt around the world due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s really frustrating for the industry because, as we head into the warmer months and harvest, we could see there were going to be continued problems in the lead-up to Christmas.

We’ve seen a second flight into Darwin. That’s a good result but to be honest there were seven weeks between flights,” Mr Cattle said.

In early October, Queensland opted into the recommencement of the program and, unlike the trial in the NT, arriving workers have the opportunity to undertake either on-farm or hotel quarantine before commencing work.

The Federal Budget provided $275 million over four years to waive visa application fees of temporary visa holders, including backpackers and seasonal workers, due to international border closures.

An additional $9 million over the next three years was allocated to ensure the welfare of workers on the Seasonal Worker Program via 19 pacific labour mobility officers.

While Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said he expected up to 4,000 workers to arrive under the Seasonal Worker Program by the end of 2020, the 323 from Vanuatu and 150 from Timor Leste who arrived in Tasmania in December have so far been the only arrivals.

With Vanuatu reporting its first ever case of COVID-19 in November, it remains to be seen whether this will hamper further roll-outs of the program.

Enticing Australian workers With hard international border closures limiting the number of foreign workers in the country, governments at all levels have been looking towards Australians to fill the labour gaps in horticulture.

Grower groups have been clear that they would prefer to employ a local workforce, but there is a lack of Australian workers willing to fill the gaps despite unemployment rates reaching 6.9% nationally and 7.7% in Queensland.

Governmental relocation assistance and marketing campaigns to encourage Australian workers to ‘go bush’ have been rolled out, but will it be enough to entice an Australian workforce seemingly unwilling to pick Australia’s fresh produce?

In October, the Queensland Government launched a pilot ‘Back to Work in Agriculture Incentive Scheme’ with initial trials to take place in the Wide Bay and Darling Downs regions. Designed to encourage eligible Queenslanders to meet short-term labour shortage demands in agriculture, the scheme includes payments of up to $1,500 to assist with accommodation and transport costs associated with travelling and staying in remote locations.

In their budget announced in October, the federal government committed $17.4 million over two years for relocation assistance to encourage Australian workers to take up jobs in regional areas. The money pays for one-off relocation rebates of up to $6,000 for those workers prepared to go regional for at least six weeks or work 120 hours.

Additionally, a new wage subsidy, JobMaker, provides employers with $200 a week for each new job created for 16 to 29-year-olds and $100 a week for any new job created for 30 to 35-year-olds who have been on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance or Parenting Payment.

Any young person who earns up to $15,000 in agriculture before 30 December 2021 will qualify for Youth Allowance,

To encourage Australians to get picking a number of marketing campaigns have been launched including the state government’s #pickqld and ‘Work and Play in the Whitsundays’ by Tourism Queensland and the Bowen Gumlu Growers Association.

and JobSeeker and Youth Allowance recipients are now able to earn up to $300 per fortnight from a farmer before welfare payments are reduced.

AUSVEG CEO, James Whiteside, is hopeful the measures will make an impact on worker shortages by encouraging more people to move to regional areas.

“It may not be the silver bullet the industry needs, but we are encouraged that the government is working with industry to find workable and reasonable solutions to this critical problem. AUSVEG encourages growers to lodge their labour requirements using the National Harvest Labour Information Service (NHLIS) and for locals looking for farm work to also use the service,” Mr Whiteside said.

Bringing back the backpackers According to the Ernst & Young report, almost 50% of all casual labour on farms is provided by backpackers on Working Holiday visas.

With international border closures preventing new backpackers from arriving in the country, federal government estimates show their current numbers have fallen from 160,000 to 70,000.

Along with the four-year waiver for application fees for temporary visa holders, the Federal Budget released in October announced that Working Holiday visa holders will be eligible for a $2,000 relocation bonus to move to regional areas for work and the visa’s age limit has been scrapped.

Furthermore, backpackers on Working Holiday visas will be able to work more than six months for the one employer if they are employed in the agricultural or food processing industries. However, with picking seasons lasting only a few months or weeks, opportunities for backpackers are limited

unless they are employed by a labour hire firm that can move them from farm to farm.

Bowen Gumlu Growers Association president, Carl Walker, said that backpackers needed to be a part of any horticulture labour strategy.

“Many backpackers are ready for a break after they complete their 88 days on farm, however the money they earn while working in the country stays in the country, they readily invest back into Australia’s economy because of the amount they spend in our tourism industry,” Mr Walker said.

However, with the Queensland Government still implementing mandatory 14-day quarantine for all international travellers at their own expense, it’s unlikely that we will see backpackers arriving in the state in great numbers any time soon.

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Updates

Paradise Dam dilemma puts investments on hold Investments in the Burnett region have been postponed in the wake of the reduction of Paradise Dam’s capacity.

According to Citrus Australia CEO, Nathan Hancock, the decision threatens the Burnett’s flourishing citrus industry and would prevent its future growth if the dam is not restored to its original height.

“External advice has revealed that the damaged dam wall can be repaired, removing any potential threat to the community,” Mr Hancock said.

“The irony is, the government’s decision to permanently lower the wall, and the amount of water that can be held, will cause billions of dollars of damage in terms of lost revenue and potential employment opportunities in the region.”

Craig Spencer, owner and Managing Director of the Carter & Spencer Group, began farming in the region in 2007 with the purchase of an established citrus orchard at Wallaville, north west of Bundaberg.

“We had been marketing the fruit for the previous owner since its inception, so when they decided to retire it was natural that we would consider

purchasing the orchard. Water reliability was always an issue prior to the dam being built, so without Paradise Dam, I doubt we would have made the investment into farming at that time,” Mr Spencer said.

Since purchasing the orchard, Carter & Spencer has invested in a number of farming operations in the Bundaberg region and now employs 120 to 200 people depending on the time of year.

“Before the news of the state government’s decision to lower the wall of Paradise Dam, we had a number of key expansion projects underway,” Mr Spencer said.

“We had a major upgrade of our irrigation equipment planned on our existing farm. That upgrade was budgeted to cost $900,000. In addition, we had commenced developing another 42 hectares which we planned to plant to citrus.

“With the investment in irrigation infrastructure, purchasing additional water, the cost of planting young trees and getting them into production we were planning to invest well over $2 million and create further permanent jobs for locals.

Investments on hold: Carter & Spencer Managing Director, Craig Spencer, at their Moore Park Eggplant Facility in the Bundaberg region.

“That is money we would have spent with our local irrigation supplier; that’s jobs that are at risk now that these types of projects aren’t going ahead. Now, we have a farm we can’t fully utilise, trees we can’t plant, and we’ve had to cancel our irrigation infrastructure plans. All our investment projects in the Bundaberg area have been put on hold.”

Protecting existing water a priority Bundaberg’s growers and local council are continuing their calls for reassurance that Paradise Dam will be restored to full capacity, amidst investments put on hold, and a class action against SunWater and the state government over mismanagement of the dam.

During the state election, Bundaberg Regional Council urged their federal and state counterparts to rule out the possibility of the water stored in Paradise Dam for the Bundaberg irrigation scheme transferred to other schemes, outside the Bundaberg region.

Executive Director of Economic Development and Strategic Projects, Ben Artup, said the council was concerned that when the dam was repaired, water would not be available because it had been diverted elsewhere.

“It’s critically important that water is stored there and reserved for our region for the future, so when we grow … that water is available for purchase in the future to underpin our economic security,” he said.

At the time, Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham said the yield from Paradise Dam would be restored, subject to 10 FRESH SOURCE

Summer 2020

structural test results.

“We have said time and time again, the yield from Paradise Dam will be restored,” he said.

“Now our priority is obviously to get that yield from a restored Paradise Dam wall, which depends on testing results. If testing results come back negative, that yield will be restored from other new infrastructure.”

Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Managing Director, Bree Grima, said that billions of dollars of investments had been put on hold in the region due to the reduction of Paradise Dam’s capacity.

“The flow-on impact with that is the 8,000 jobs that are associated with agriculture in this region, so we’re extremely concerned if Paradise Dam is not returned to full supply level and we need to ensure that the water in that dam is for the irrigators in the Bundaberg Irrigation Scheme,” Ms Grima said.

“The confidence that the growers have, that they can access more water, that they can grow and they can expand their operation, has been severely reduced.”

Dam dreams becoming reality A critical milestone in the construction of the 12,000 megalitre Emu Swamp Dam was reached when the final phase of water sales commenced in September.

Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said involved irrigators would finalise their water allocation agreements for the dam and pipeline project located in the Granite Belt, south-west of Stanthorpe.

“Emu Swamp Dam will provide water to 51 agribusiness customers and bring wide-reaching benefits to the region.

It is expected to create 250 jobs during construction, and 700 new full-time agriculture and supporting jobs in the region,” Dr Lynham said.

The state government committed $13.6 million to kick start Emu Swamp Dam, with an advanced release of $6 million to fast-track the project. The collective monetary support from irrigators will total $23.4 million, 28% of the cost of the scheme, to be the highest proportion of private investment in water infrastructure in Queensland’s history.

Granite Belt Water CEO Lloyd Taylor said finalising the financial commitment of local irrigators would trigger the next stage of works.

“Importantly, the completion of this phase will be a significant step towards breaking ground on construction of the dam,” Mr Taylor said.

Once operational, Emu Swamp Dam will provide water security for irrigators by guaranteeing a monthly average of 90% of their water allocation.

Devastation leads to innovation on the Granite Belt The loss of a 30-year-old cherry orchard is the inspiration for a new dam cover that hopes to provide greater water security and reduce water loss due to evaporation.

ProteC Plus CEO, Graham Minifie, announced the closure of Cherry Park’s commercial operations in June, after witnessing daily tree deaths for over six months and being unable to purchase water to survive the drought.

“Going through drought ourselves, losing the whole property as far as the commercial part of it, I realised we had to conserve every piece of water made available,” Mr Minifie said.

This proved to be the spark of inspiration for the creation of protective canopies to prevent water evaporation from on-farm dams. After 12 months of designing and testing, including a series of trials by growers in Stanthorpe, the final design was launched in September.

“On a yearly basis, the ground loses about 30% of its evaporation storage just from the sun, whereas with a shade cloth on it you minimise that to just a few percent,” Mr Minifie said.

“That was a huge issue and a major part of our water loss, so we saw the opportunity there to expand on our beliefs by doing it ourselves and setting up a business to help.”

According to Mr Minifie, the covers are designed to allow water to seep in while preventing evaporation and can be easily assembled, moved, or removed.

La Niña brings rain The arrival of a La Niña phase has signalled a wet spring and summer, however, it is unlikely that the rainfall experienced so far is enough to break the ongoing drought.

As La Niña warms Australia’s northern waters more moisture is lifted into the air than normal, typically resulting in increased rain for eastern and northern Australia.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Head of Climate Operations, Andrew Watkins, this moisture can lead to cooler daytime temperatures.

“We tend to have more cloud and a bit more moisture around to evaporate to keep the air a bit cooler. Conversely at night, when you’ve got the cloud acting like a lid trapping in that heat, it can be a bit warmer,” he said.

Dr Watkins said that this year’s event was expected to be weaker than the La Niña which caused significant damage across South-East Queensland in early 2011.

During previous La Niña years, northern and eastern Australia have experienced wetter-than-normal conditions. IMAGE: Bureau of Meteorology

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 11

Updates

Water security on the federal agenda An additional $2 billion investment in new national water infrastructure projects and an additional $50 million in funding for an on-farm water infrastructure scheme was announced as part of the Federal Budget in October.

“The rebate scheme was very well received by farmers because the infrastructure it supported provided enduring benefits, including new bores, better dams and pipes that allowed movement of water to their stock,” Minister Pitt said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Michael McCormack, said the Australian Government was working closely with state and territory partners to identify a rolling program of priority water infrastructure projects to be paid for by the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, David Littleproud, said the scheme was popular because it provided much needed assistance to improve water security, productivity and profitability.

“The government is planning for the long term through a 10-year rolling program of priority water infrastructure investments. We have already committed to more than 20 water infrastructure projects across Australia, supplying billions of litres of water for productive use each year, but we want to do even more,” he said.

The On-farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme, which is open to horticulturalists with permanent plantings, received an additional $50 million to provide rebates up to 25% of the eligible infrastructure costs, capped at $25,000.

Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, said the original scheme was over-subscribed by an estimated 2,000 applications.

New case brings Tully tally to five A commercial banana farm in the Tully Valley has had a confirmed positive test for the Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4).

It is the fifth property to be infected with the Panama TR4 since it was first detected in the area in 2015.

Panama TR4 Program Leader Rhiannon Evans said the case was discovered early due to regular surveillance on the property.

“Early detection is vital. Through destruction of infected plants, the build-up of fungal spores in soil can be minimised, limiting the spread of the disease,” Ms Evans said.

“Biosecurity Queensland is working cooperatively with the grower to make sure biosecurity measures are in place to limit disease spread and protect the banana industry.”

Stephen Lowe, Chair of the Australian

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Summer 2020

“While recent rains are a cause for optimism, recovering from drought can take years rather than months,” Minister Littleproud said.

“This rebate is essential in the immediate term to help farmers keep permanent plantings alive in the drought. It’s even more valuable over the long term because the water infrastructure farmers build now will better prepare them for future drought events.”

The scheme is managed by states and territories, who are currently in discussions with the federal government about potential co-funding arrangements.

“The Commonwealth has stepped up to provide this extra funding to ensure more farmers do not miss out on this crucial rebate, and I know farmers would welcome state governments also stepping up to co-fund these rebates in order to provide certainty to communities,” Minister Littleproud said.

Banana Growers’ Council, said that while news of the disease spreading was not surprising, it was still a blow for the industry and the business concerned.

If anyone suspects Panama TR4, report it immediately to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23. To find out more about Panama TR4, visit biosecurity.qld.gov.au.

“Our thoughts are, of course, with the grower affected. This is a challenging time for them and we will assist in any way we can,” he said.

“This grower already had excellent biosecurity measures in place, which always helps greatly when thrown into the position of having to comply with a notice of Panama TR4.”

Ms Evans said the disease had spread gradually and was still contained within the Tully Valley.

“We’re increasing surveillance in the Tully Valley, and expanding it to all banana growing areas across Far North Queensland,” she said.

“Strong on-farm biosecurity and regular surveillance are vital to limiting the spread of Panama TR4.

“The Panama TR4 Program will continue to work closely with growers and the industry to deliver a cost-effective surveillance program that provides an early and effective response to disease presence.”

Signs of Panama TR4 include leaf streaking and browning. IMAGE: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

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Brisbane Markets Limited fortunate to achieve solid end-of- year result Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) announced its results for the year ended 30 June 2020 at its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 11 November. The company secured a net profit after tax of $14.76 million and recorded an underlying operating profit before tax of $15.99 million, representing growth of 4.65% when compared to the prior year.

BML Chairman, Tony Joseph, said the company was fortunate to have achieved such a solid financial result after the challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Brisbane Markets Limited CEO Andrew Young and Chairman Tony Joseph.

“This result is a testament to the strength and experience of industry-based ownership of the Brisbane Markets and reflects the early action that BML took to cut costs and restrict site access, and to provide necessary assistance to tenants through rent relief, credits and waivers,” said Mr Joseph.

BML’s strategic investment in Perth Markets Group Limited and the South Australian Produce Market Limited has contributed to the company’s net profit.

The company has declared a final dividend of 7.75 cents per share fully franked, bringing the total dividend paid in respect of the 2020 financial year to 16 cents per share fully franked.

ANNUA L REPOR T 2020

Major site improvements during the course of the financial year included the completion of the new $19.5 million Building E1 facility, an additional Covered Loading Area for registered Brisbane Markets buyers, and an extension to the Building A1 warehouse.

|

At 30 June 2020, total assets stood at $395.03 million with net assets of $191.68 million.

BRISBA NE MARKE TS LIMITE D

Ongoing development and upgrading of the Brisbane Markets site continued to be a priority for the company during the year, which recorded total asset growth of 4.11% and net asset growth of 2.15%.

20 ANN 20 REPOURATL INCLUDES FINA NCIAL REPORT

The cover of Brisbane Markets Limited’s 2020 Annual Report.

14 FRESH SOURCE

Summer 2020

Brismark Board speaks of success at 2020 AGM Brismark, the membership organisation of Brisbane Produce Market’s primary wholesalers, held its Annual General Meeting on 21 October, which was well attended by Member Principals.

Chairman Gary Lower said that given the challenging trading conditions of 2020, Brismark exceeded budget expectations, achieving a pre-tax operating profit of $2.16 million contributing to net assets of $46.9 million.

“Equally impressive was Brismark’s Credit Service throughput of $665 million with a bad debt payout of just $15,427. This strong result reflects the work done by the Credit Service to minimise the impact of COVID-19 during a time of economic change and uncertainty,” he said.

Mark Murphy, Chairman of the Credit Service, said the uninterrupted financial discipline exercised by the Credit Service Committee and Brismark staff resulted in minimal bad debt payouts and growth in the overall Bad Debt Reserve.

The strong working relationship between Brismark and Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) was discussed, particularly several shared interests during 2019/2020. These include the Site Safety Program and Chain of Responsibility, management plans, joint promotional initiatives including BML’s sponsorship of the A better choice! National Retail Program, and the creation of a new Training Centre which will serve as a

Brisbane Markets Limited receives safety commendation Brisbane Markets Limited (BML)’s efforts to promote a culture of safety amongst the site’s over 1,000 registered forklift operators was acknowledged at the Queensland Community Achievement Awards (QCAA).

As one of four finalists for the Synaco Safety Award, BML Communications Manager, Luke Leeson, represented BML at the QCAA gala night, which was held virtually on Friday, 27 November 2020.

“It’s a pleasure for BML to be recognised by the QCAA for the proactive work we do to educate and engage with forklift operators on our site,” Mr Leeson said.

“As anyone who has visited the markets knows, it is a hive of activity, with a higher concentration of forklifts than on any other site in Queensland. So keeping safety front of mind for forklift operators is an ongoing priority for BML and it is great to see our hard work is making a difference.”

The QCAA started in 2002, with a regional focus, but are now conducted state wide. The awards reward the valuable contributions that individuals, communities and businesses are making to improve their communities throughout Queensland.

Socially-distanced attendees of Brismark’s Annual General Meeting.

hub for industry networking and a place for learning.

The 2020/21 Brismark Board consists of Chairman Gary Lower of J Allen Ltd, and Deputy Chairman, Mark Murphy, of United Lettuce (elected), Deputy Chairman Stephen Edwards of Murray Bros (appointed), CEO Andrew Young and newlyappointed Company Secretary Joady Raph.

Eight Directors support the Board, being Lachlan Armstrong (Armstrong Brothers), Troy Beaton (H.E Heather & Co), Mark Clarke (Favco (QLD)), Noel Greenhalgh (R W Pascoe), Hamish Montague (Montague), Mark Moore (M&D Vegetable Specialist), Peter Tighe (J.H. Leavy & Co), and Paul O’Toole (O’Toole Produce).

At the meeting, an important resolution was passed extending the tenure of appointment of Directors from two years to three years.

Testing begins for forklift operators Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) has successfully launched drug and alcohol testing of forklift operators on site.

The initiative, which forms part of the Site Safety Program jointly run by Brismark and BML, saw testing body The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) attend the markets on Tuesday, 13 October to conduct the first round of testing.

Markets businesses were requested to volunteer staff members to be tested in this first round, which was well attended. Several forklift operators who were not on the schedule even volunteered their time on the day to be tested in a strong vote of confidence in the program.

In total, 109 forklift operators tests have been undertaken since the testing was launched. Randomised testing will begin in January 2021.

The drug and alcohol testing of forklift operators has been strongly supported by market employers and forklift operators themselves, as an imperative to promote site safety.

Anyone looking for more information relating to the Site Safety Program can visit https://bit.ly/3eOlXya. Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 15

Markets

Another milestone warehouse development completed Only one year after the completion of the $17.5 million Montague Produce Facility, Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) handed over its latest warehouse development to tenant, J.H. Leavy & Co, a subsidiary of Darling Group, on Wednesday, 11 August 2020.

At the official handover (from left to right) Ryan Knott (SBPA), Max Burns (SBPA), Ben Bartlett (J.H. Leavy & Co), Tony Joseph (BML), and Andrew Young (BML).

The new $19.5 million state-of-the-art, J.H. Leavy & Co-branded warehouse was purpose-designed in close consultation between BML, the tenants and architects dwp, over an 18-month design development phase to facilitate Leavy’s primary wholesaling, third party logistics and import/ export services.

“Brisbane Markets is constantly growing to meet the needs of the fresh produce industry and to provide purpose-built facilities for our tenants,” said BML CEO Andrew Young.

“Investments of this type demonstrate the growth that BML is undergoing on the back of our confidence in the industry and in the markets.”

The building’s 6,362 m2 lettable area casts an imposing figure on the southwest corner of Sherwood Road and Martin Taylor Drive and includes extensive fast cool and ripening rooms, cold storage, a disinfestation facility, nine loading docks, four finger docks, elevated plant deck and a fumigation facility featuring recapture technology.

The main entrance to the new J.H. Leavy & Co offices.

Construction of the project was completed in just 11 months

by SBP Australia Pty Ltd, whose founding director, Max Burns, believes it to be one of the company’s finest achievements.

“I feel happy and proud of what we’ve achieved. The boys have done a really great job. Nowadays there’s just as much work being done behind the scenes as there is on site,” Mr Burns said.

“The client has been really good in this project and BML sets out guidelines for the process that we have to follow so that makes it pretty easy.

“I’ve been in the industry for decades and this is just the type of project we want to work on. It’s our fifth major job at Brisbane Markets.”

J.H. Leavy & Co CEO, Ben Bartlett, said that the end result was exactly what his company was looking for to improve efficiency and productivity.

“The beauty of this site is that the domestic and international areas are completely sectioned off to allow us to maintain the integrity of both our domestic and export products,” Mr Bartlett said.

“This was definitely my first rodeo as far as trying to manage a project like this and so my hat goes off to everyone involved in providing all the support I needed, it made the process very easy.”

16 FRESH SOURCE

Summer 2020

The changing face of Brisbane Markets: The top image is the Brisbane Markets site in April 2018. Just two and a half years later (below) you can see the site now, featuring the new Building E1 warehouse (front centre) and the Montague Produce Facility (top right).

Bumper season for local cherries The Australian cherry season is shaping up to be a bumper crop, nudged along by favourable winter growing conditions.

Cherry Growers Australia (CGA) president, Tom Eastlake, described the coming season as potentially delivering a “very large crop” with bud counts and winter temperatures adding to the significant crop load.

“Export remains a focus and strategy on export marketing will be refined as we get closer to the season and export freight availability is clearer.”

This is an extract of an article that first appeared in Good Fruit and Vegetables. You can read the full story at https://bit.ly/38DD84s.

Reports of a return to more average rainfall have also been welcomed by many growers.

In order to head off an over-supplied market, CGA has taken the proactive approach of launching a series of videos featuring growers explaining how they prepare for harvest.

“This will be a critical thing this year - managing the crop load,” Mr Eastlake said.

“We want a season of high quality, large size fruit and thank you to all the growers who have participated in this series so far.

“We will be contacting more growers as we get closer to harvest and please get in contact if you would like to be involved in providing some advice on how you are preparing for harvest.”

The industry will have a focus on the domestic market during the season, which runs from October through to February.

“At this stage, the focus remains on the domestic market, to ensure we have a robust and ready market place that is excited about Australian cherries hitting the shelf again this year,” Mr Eastlake said.

Whopper season expected for Australian cherries.

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Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 17

Feature

REMEMBERING THE 2011 FLOOD Anniversary of 2011 flood provides time for reflection Ten years ago, Brisbane Markets faced a situation like no other.

After two months of solid rain throughout the state, the 2.6 million megalitre Wivenhoe Dam was 190% full and rising. To reduce the threat of the dam wall breaking under the water pressure, water was released and the people of Ipswich and Brisbane were racing for cover as the muddy deluge hit them, their homes and their livelihoods.

On Wednesday, 12 January, the 77ha Rocklea site succumbed to the flood water, mud and sludge rising to a depth of 1.5 m in its Central Trading Area, and up to 3 m in some warehouses, engulfing ground floor offices, storage sheds and cold rooms. The site was rendered inaccessible and suffered an estimated total losses of $60 million for BML and all tenants, including damage to fresh produce, vehicles, equipment, buildings and infrastructure.

Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) Chairman, Tony Joseph, said that all businesses and premises were affected to varying degrees by the flood event and the recovery process was both enormous, costly and time consuming.

“At the time, the 2011 flood was devastating and its impact continues to this day. But in the recovery period, the markets community banded together and we became stronger for it,” Mr Joseph said.

“Since that time BML has had the opportunity to upgrade infrastructure on site and to put in considerable work to mitigate the potential for damage in the future.”

18 FRESH SOURCE

Summer 2020

Floodwaters in the Co vered Unloading Area in the Central Trading Area of the Brisbane Produce Market.

From Friday, 14 January, the water receded and a ‘mud army’ turned out in droves to assist the clean-up effort.

Australian Defence Force personnel from D Company, 9th Battalion Royal Queensland Regiment, Queensland and NSW Fire and Rescue personnel, and Air Services Australia fire tenders, all worked together to remove rotting food and flood damaged debris as well as hose down and sanitise buildings and fence lines.

BML staff members, contractors and tenants were joined by hundreds of volunteers, most in gumboots and gloves, who offered support with the clean-up, setting up barbecues and providing water and food, while larger corporate organisations donated food and drink.

By Sunday, 16 January, limited receivals had recommenced on the Central Trading Floor using generator power for lighting and by the next morning, Monday, 17 January, wholesalers were distributing the fresh produce that had arrived overnight.

Terry Heidemann, Managing Director of Crisp Power & Control, was on site at the time to help reconnect electrical services, with the priority being to get the Central Trading Area operating again.

“It was all hands on deck. We had everybody pitching in with rags and sourcing generators,” Mr Heidemann said.

Brisbane Produce Market inundated with flood waters.

“Everyone wanted to get in and get it done and it built a great camaraderie amongst the boys. They turned up every day with smiles on their faces.

“Energex were unbelievable, they mobilised generators from everywhere so we could power our sub stations.”

In the first week, the Brisbane Markets were at 30% capacity.

A week later, it was at 50% and over the ensuing days, fresh produce volumes and efficiencies continued to increase as power was reinstated and warehouses were given the Brisbane City Council Health Department tick of approval to begin operations.

The work to fully reinstate tenancies and infrastructure took many months, and the impact on some businesses was very significant. BML’s total damages claim was ultimately approximately $14 million, while the company also used the opportunity provided to undertake a substantial amount of site upgrading and refurbishment works.

According to Brisbane Markets Limited CEO, Andrew Young, the response of the community in providing assistance and support was incredible.

mess in Volunteers sort out the e. ntr Ce Commercial

the Brisbane Markets

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 19

“What we experienced was a community wanting to help,” Mr Young said.

“They responded to the positive examples of the determination being shown and the very visible effort being made to clear the site of the debris and waste.

“What really stood out was the commitment and support shown by tenants, the appointed contractors, government agencies and our staff members. As highlighted in the thank you advertisement that BML published in 2011 (see page 21), there were so many companies, agencies, and people involved. It was a very humbling experience and one which really demonstrated the good will and determination of people during times of adversity.

“To this day, BML is still overwhelmed by gratitude and thanks for the support, cooperation and dedication everyone showed in getting the Brisbane Markets up and running again.”

Premier of Queensland at the time, Anna Bligh, was among the throng of politicians and their policy advisors to visit Brisbane Markets in the wake of the flood. At the time, she said: “This market is a remarkable story of resilience. I’ve been so impressed and people all over Brisbane have found it an unbelievable recovery story”.

Members of the Austr alian Defence Force assist with the huge cle an-up effort at Brisbane Markets. IMA GE: Corporal (CPL) Janine Fabre.

Garden Verde’s Bassam (Sam) Abou Chahla in the Brisbane Produce Market as the water subsides.

Defence Force trucks await

to remove a pile of deb ris.

A sign of the times.

20 FRESH SOURCE

Summer 2020

Former Queensland Premier Ann a Bligh (right) speaks with Brisbane Mark ets Limited Chairman Tony Joseph (left) and CEO Andrew Young.

Thank you!

It was only through the help and dedication of volunteer groups, state government agencies, individuals, contractors and service providers that we were able to undertake the huge clean-up to get Queensland’s marketing and distribution hub for fresh produce operational following the 2011 floods.

Now, ten years on, we continue to recognise and thank those individuals and organisations for their contributions to the recovery effort.

n 1 ra 201 he ML ry n t t B rua d o h a eb se t t F Ba men ail in ise M rt er ve ri ad Cou e Th in

Once again, Brisbane Markets would like to say

A special acknowledgement is made for the supreme round-the-clock effort by Peter McMahon and his team at Civil Unlimited, the crews of Crisp Electrical and Agnola Plumbing and Energex.

Heartfelt thanks to:

Cleaning:

Food and drink providers:

• Australian Army Reserves and Disaster Response Team • Brisbane City Council • NSW Fire & Rescue (Lismore and Ballina) • Queensland Fire & Rescue Service • Queensland Rural Fire Brigade • QFRS Aviation Brisbane Airport • Queensland Police Moorooka (traffic management) • Queensland Police Sherwood (antilooting patrols) • Volunteering Queensland • Brisbane Markets management, staff, family and friends

• • • •

• • • •

Special acknowledgement and thanks to: • Brent Carter, Chief Superintendent Queensland Police Service, Metropolitan South

Medical assistance: • • • •

Australian Army Medics Emergency Medics Volunteer Nurses Queensland Health

Owners/operators of heavy machinery, trucks, bobcats: A special thanks to the many owners/ operators of trucks and machines used in the massive operation to clear debris from the site.

Maxi Clean Pristine Ultra Clean TSS Westaff Vantage Financial

Plus hundreds of people who just turned up on site to help clean!

Suppliers and service providers who assisted: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

A1 First Aid Supplies Agnola Plumbing Alex Milanovic & Associates Arbon Equipment Aus IT Bulk Fuel Australia Civil Unlimited Cool Dynamics Coates Hire Crisp Electrical Energex Industrial Fitting Sales, Rocklea JA Evans Crane Mini Tankers Nalco Company Onsite Rentals Qld Decorative Concrete Finishes SafetyQuip Stowe Electrical Schultz and Burns Tech Services Veolia Environmental Services Wiley & Co Wanless Enviro Services

all the ‘unsung heroes’ who helped throughout “To flood affected Queensland, we salute you.”

• • • • • • • • •

All About Meat Cosie Rosies Café Eagle Boys, Acacia Ridge Lions Club, Logan Village with assistance from the Tamborine Village and Holland Park Lions Michels Patisserie Mr Coffee, Barista Noodle Box Rotary Club Subway Tip Top Streets Ice creams Wok On, Carina Triple M

... and to the many other companies and individuals that donated food and water without waiting for thanks!

A special thank you to all who gave so generously in our time of need.

There were many unnamed people who assisted but due to the magnitu de of the event and its impact on our enti re site, we apologise if we have missed acknowledging your efforts.

Andrew Young CEO Brisbane Markets Limited Tony Joseph Chairman Brisbane Markets Lim

ited

Feature Crawley overcomes setback to win Forklift Operator of the Year for 2020 Adam Crawley has been crowned the 2020 Brisbane Produce Market Forklift Operator of the Year after a hotly contested grand final at Brisbane Markets on Wednesday, 28 October.

The Franklin Bros forklift operator beat the competition to the $3,000 top prize, with Ireland53’s Andrew Brearley securing $1,500 for second place and Costa Farms’ Alfred Finau awarded $500 for third.

Crawley managed to overcome what was potentially a major setback when he clipped two pallets and lost some of his load of plastic balls, designed to represent the fragility of fresh produce forklift operators transport every day, as he reversed through the course. This error added precious seconds onto his course time of 2 minutes and 8 seconds, which was 13 seconds faster than the next fastest competitor.

The 2020 Forklift Operator of the Year competition was sponsored by Brismark, The Drug Detection Agency, Toyota Material Handling, Eaton Services Group and SBP Australia, with the event hosted by Brisbane Markets Limited.

It is the sixth year that the annual competition has been run at Brisbane Markets, which is home to the largest concentration of forklifts on any site in Queensland with 390 registered forklifts and 1,055 forklift operator permits active on site.

The grand final judges add seconds to each competitor’s course time while assessing their skill and competency over five categories.

Fortunately for Crawley, near perfect scores in four of the five judging categories meant that, even with a 30 second time penalty added after hitting the two pallets, he still managed to take out the title ahead of Mr Brearley, by a margin of just one second in what was his first year entering the competition.

“I’m definitely happy to have the trophy.

Congratulations go to everyone who competed, they all did really well. I’m very happy for all of us,” Mr Crawley said.

“I think it’s important to have an event like this on site to help promote safety amongst the forklift operators.”

22 FRESH SOURCE

Summer 2020

ner’s ded his win rawley awar C am d A r of the Year lift Operato g.

2020 Fork ndrew Youn A , O BML CE cheque by

rawley ner Adam C Brearly, win w re nd A up ree: runner Finau.

The top th getter Alfred ce la p ird and th

In the family: Alfred Fin au during his run that won him third place. Alfred is the bro ther of last year’s winner Na’a Finau.

Originally launched to promote forklift safety, the competition has steadily gained traction and is now a fan-favourite fixture in the Brisbane Produce Market events calendar.

Forklift operators participated in a month-long observation period, where they were scored on their adherence to safety and traffic rules on the Brisbane Markets site.

After collating over 500 scoresheets, the entrants were narrowed down to the top 10 who competed in the grand final obstacle course in front of the crowd that gathered within the Brisbane Produce Market to watch the spectacle.

Mr Crawley even had some advice for next year’s finalists.

“Make sure you go fast and don’t drop the balls!”

A familiar face in the at the course.

mielarski takes a run competition, Ziggy Ch

Thanks to our sponsors:

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 23

Feature MEET OUR WHOLESALERS Meet the Brisbane Produce Market wholesalers

Ten tips for working with a wholesaler

There are 55 fruit and vegetable wholesalers who make up Brismark’s member base, each an independent business that operates from Queensland’s Central Market: the Brisbane Produce Market (BPM).

1. Make sure you have a signed Horticulture Produce Agreement between you and your wholesaler. It is a mandatory requirement of the Horticulture Code of Conduct, speak to your wholesaler or visit https://bit.ly/3koBMwG.

Each operator competes for the same business. Such competition ensures prices are based on supply and demand, and with pricing changing daily buyers can always be assured of getting the best produce at competitive market prices. This is passed onto primary wholesalers’ customers or buyers such as independent retailers and secondary wholesalers or provedores.

Who is Brismark?

Brismark is a member organisation which represents and serves the needs of the wholesaling sector of the fresh fruit and vegetable industry, in particular the primary wholesalers who operate out of the BPM. Brismark provides advocacy and financial, commercial and marketing services to primary wholesalers, secondary wholesalers, commercial buyers, growers, industry groups and job seekers.

As a member organisation it actively lobbies on major industry issues such as the Horticulture Code of Conduct.

It also offers a Credit Service facility which acts as a clearing house for its members and associated businesses that operate within the Brisbane Produce Market providing a secure, efficient and paperless means of conducting business within the BPM.

Contact Brismark To contact Brismark, you can visit www.brismark.com.au for more information, or: Phone: 07 3915 4222 Email: admin@brismark.com.au Visit: Level 2 Fresh Centre, Brismark Markets, 385 Sherwood Road, Rocklea QLD 4106 Post: PO Box 70, Brisbane Markets®, QLD 4106 24 FRESH SOURCE

Summer 2020

2. Visit the Central Markets and try to come in-season too, so that you can compare your product and packaging with the competition.

3. Communicate with your wholesaler and let them know if you are experiencing any difficulties or expect an especially good crop so that forward planning can take place.

4. Is your packaging up to scratch? Ensure your packaging is appropriate and supports the overall presentation of the produce.

5. Keep up-to-date records of your transactions. Always use consignment notes to help track your produce.

These are a great reference point if something ever goes wrong.

6. Accurately grade and describe your fruit. Throwing your produce into grade 1 boxes when the produce is grade 2 will only break down your relationship with the wholesaler and the regular purchasers of your product.

7. Use reliable carriers who can get your produce to its destination on time and in good condition.

8. Contact your wholesaler quickly if you do not receive payment by the agreed time.

9. Listen to your wholesaler’s advice and be prepared to accept constructive criticism. Your wholesaler does have an interest in seeing you reach the best possible price for your product.

10. Stick to the numbers of pallets or cartons that you have advised your wholesaler you will be sending. Never send produce unannounced or short change an order because your wholesaler usually knows exactly how much produce is required.

Company Name

Contacts

Mobile

Phone

Email

Alfred E Chave Pty Ltd

Anthony Joseph

0418 876 330

07 3379 1071

anthonyj@alfredechave.com.au

Armstrong Bros Fruit & Veg Merchants

Lachlan Armstrong

0447 787 094

07 3379 5344

lachlan@armbros.net.au

Australian Ethical Growers

Claire Crocker

0428 851 699

BG Brisbane

Anthony Gribben

0411 723 001

07 3278 2877

anthony@bgbrisbane.com.au

Carter and Spencer

Craig Spencer

0418 723 286

07 3361 5555

craig.spencer@carter-spencer.com.au

Central Park Produce

Jonathon Goody

0417 713 235

07 3193 5240

jon@centralparkproduce.com.au

Costa Group

Ryan O'Keeffe

0427 604 211

07 3379 0300

ryan.okeeffe@costaexchange.com.au

Cumming Produce Centre

Nick Marentis

0438 270 672

07 3379 3409

sales@cummingproduce.com.au

Don Alroe & Sons

Paul Alroe

0412 755 665

07 3379 3554

paul@donalroe.com.au

Favco Queensland Pty Ltd

Mark Clarke

0407 781 792

07 3717 1500

markc@favcoqld.com.au

Franklin Bros

Mark Alston

0418 197 295

07 3379 5944

mark@franklinbros.com.au

Garden Verde

Bassam Abou Chahla

0410 417 916

07 3379 9590

verde@bigpond.net.au

Gibb Bros

Nicholas Gibb

0419 175 878

07 3379 9999

nick@gibbbros.com.au

Giua Produce

Mark Murphy

0418 798 462

07 3379 9288

mark@infruit.org

GNL Produce

Neale Cullen

0412 092 207

07 3278 1275

admin@gnlproduce.com.au

Gollagher Bros Pty Ltd

Stephen Gollagher

0409 635 700

07 3278 3711

stephen@gollagher.com.au

Gourmetlink

Douglas Rylance

0418 748 096

07 3278 1724

doug@fruitlink.com.au

H E Heather & Co Pty Ltd

Troy Beaton

0419 662 293

07 3278 2666

troybeaton@heheather.com.au

Ireland 53

Gary Vedelago

0418 743 028

07 3379 1131

grantsouthen@yahoo.com

J Allen Pty Ltd

Gary Lower

0418 709 291

07 3379 8644

gary@jallen.com.au

J E Tipper Pty Ltd

Steve Barnes

0435 054528

07 3379 1041

steve@jetipper.com.au

J H Leavy & Co

Ben Bartlett

0428 454 979

07 3379 4659

ben@jhleavy.com.au

John Potter Pty Ltd

William Mills

0413 911 700

07 3278 0600

safety@workready.net.au

King Pak Australia

Jack George

0408 459 867

07 3717 1400

jack@simongeorge.com.au

KLS Farm Produce

Steven Wright

0477 887 401

LaManna Premier

Pierre Tannouri

0447571984

07 3848 2999

pierre.tannouri@lpgroup.com.au

Lavender & Sons

Gary Lavender

0412 192 370

07 3278 5082

gwl2@bigpond.com

Lind & Sons Pty Ltd

Fraser Lind

0418 714 528

07 3379 7999

lindandsons@lindandsons.com.au

M & D Vegetable Specialists Pty Ltd

Mark Moore

0418 784 249

07 3379 5500

markmoore072@hotmail.com

Marendy & Sons Produce

Mary Marendy

07 3379 1384

marendyandsons@bigpond.com

Marland Mushrooms

Troy Marland

0439 968 878

07 3278 1112

admin@marlandmushrooms.com.au

Montague

Hamish Montague

0408 750 869

07 3270 3175

hamish@montague.com.au

Murray Bros

Stephen Edwards

0438 949 911

07 3875 8100

sedwards@murraybros.com.au

Nutrano Produce - Bananas

Gavin Hoggett

03 9428 1748

gavin.hoggett@nutrano.com.au

O'Toole Produce

Paul O'Toole

0429 100 500

07 3278 1700

info@otoole.net.au

Perfection

Jane Rowles

0400 877 020

07 3310 3900

jane@perfection.com.au

Pershouse Produce

David Pershouse

0417 727 812

07 3379 3034

david@pershouse.com.au

Priority Produce

Steven Rosten

0413 199 904

07 3915 4140

Steve@priorityproduce.com.au

R W Pascoe

Noel Greenhalgh

0417 744 935

07 3379 2686

noel@rwpascoe.com.au

Rising Sun Produce

Christian Hoath

0427 747 464

07 3278 0555

info@risingsun.net.au

Romeo's Marketing (QLD)

Debbie Trimboli

0412 967 107

07 3278 5455

debbie@rmqld.com.au

Ross & Co

Glenn Pereira

0436 358 418

07 3379 3043

glenn@samsonsfruit.com.au

Shamrock Marketing

Bob Koning

0408 727 027

07 3915 5010

Bobkoning67@gmail.com

So Crisp

Craig Chard

0419 734 587

07 3278 2133

craig@socrisp.com.au

Stanton & Son

Marc Stanton

0418 872 905

07 3294 8029

stantoninvestments@bigpond.com

Sutton Fresh Direct

Trent Sutton

0434 157 905

T Produce Co

Salvatore Turrisi

0409 989 071

07 3107 1608

sal.turrisi@tproduce.com.au

Top Class Fruit Supply

John Mastroianni

0419 930 830

07 3278 6188

john@topclassfruit.com.au

United Lettuce

Mark Murphy

0418 798 462

07 3379 9288

mark@infruit.org

United Organics

Martin Meek

0418 982 625

07 3278 5997

martin@unitedorganics.com.au

Viva Produce

Peter Lahey

0418 752 404

07 3379 7309

peter@bananaripeners.com.au

claire@australianethicalgrowers.com.au

steven_james@live.com.au

admin@suttonfreshdirect.com.au

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 25

Central Markets are important links joining on e vast horticulture supply chain.

Fresh Perspectives provid es an insight into this rich and varied industry, focusi ng on the characters, and characteristics, of the wo rld of horticulture.

Communication and innovation provides clear path to success Many roads lead to the Brisbane Markets.

For grower-wholesaler Trent Sutton it was a matter of taking an opportunity when it presented itself; for providore Virginya McCosker it was a step forward when the path ahead was unknown; and, for builder Max Burns, it was a deliberate move in his business’ growth.

No matter the journey it took for them to get here, all three understand the value of communication and innovation in improving their own businesses and those they work with.

Mr Sutton is a fourth generation Lockyer Valley grower and wholesaler principal at Sutton Fresh Direct. Six years ago, the family took on a wholesale tenancy at the Brisbane Produce Market, which Mr Sutton manages, while the farm is in the hands of his father Rick and his brothers Dean and Brock.

“When the opportunity arose to take on a wholesale business, we took it and it has really been a step forward for our company,” Mr Sutton said.

“At the moment, we are focused on streamlining the supply chain, finding new opportunities and increasing transparency, not just with our own farm but with all of our partner farms.

We are always looking to expand into new regions and expand our capabilities.”

For Ms McCosker, the move into the fresh produce industry occurred 14 years ago, when she was at a crossroads in her life and decided to start a small fruit and vegetable co-op while she figured out her next step.

“I started a home delivery service providing about 100 boxes a week and for the first few years I purchased via Public Entry at the Brisbane Produce Market. We bought bulk boxes and then picked and packed from my garage. Eventually, my customer base became too big and I transitioned into being a buyer,” Ms McCosker said.

When Ms McCosker was approached by a restaurant to do their fresh produce buying, she decided to start her business, Providore Princess.

“Even though I felt trepidation and had minimal wholesale experience, I decided to give it a go and from there it just escalated!” Ms McCosker said.

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After undertaking the odd cool room maintenance jobs at the Brisbane Markets in the 70s, Mr Burns knew that getting a foot in the door on site would help put his business on the road to success, but it wasn’t until 1987 that he got his big break.

“We saw an opportunity at Brisbane Markets because of the amount of cool rooms that are on site and the level of maintenance work required allowed for ongoing work between larger projects,” Mr Burns said.

“When we first came in, no one knew who I was, and I had to prove that I could do the work. Our big start was provided

by Brian Engeman at North Coast Ripeners. We ended up winning the project to build three banana ripening rooms.

Because my price was so competitive, they ended up putting in four.”

The project paid off, with Mr Engeman providing positive word of mouth amongst markets businesses. As word spread, Mr Burns’ company, SBP Australia, has widened its net across the supply chain, completing projects for growers and transporters.

“Since those early beginnings we’ve completed around 500 ripening rooms Australia-wide and have undertaken five major projects at Brisbane Markets, either rebuilding existing infrastructure or new warehouse builds,” Mr Burns said.

Transparency breeds innovation For Mr Sutton, Ms McCosker and Mr Burns, having open lines of communication is an essential part of their business.

Before taking on their wholesale business, the Sutton family found they weren’t getting the feedback they needed to improve their farming enterprise.

“There used to be a significant block to receiving information from the final sales point – be that the consumer, the retailer or the processor – it just didn’t get back to us as growers. You can be the best producer of your product line, but if you don’t know what the consumer wants and where they’re trending then you won’t be able to improve,” Mr Sutton said.

Trent Sutton Sutton Fresh Direct

Virginya McCosker Providore Princess

“Similarly, wholesalers and retailers don’t necessarily have a full grasp on the production side, so they may not be aware of something that can be done better. If everyone puts their minds together, you’ll find a solution. But if there’s resistance to letting others in the supply chain know what’s really going on, finding solutions takes a lot longer.”

The Suttons are fortunate to now have the familial ties between grower and wholesaler, but insist strong relationships and proactive communication between all growers and wholesalers is imperative to achieving innovation across the supply chain.

“There’s a different level of information flow now. When I’m talking to the farm, I am talking about things that I used to do myself, so I have a firm understanding of how it all works: what can and can’t be done. Likewise, on the farm they know everything I know about the markets and the supply chain,” Mr Sutton said.

This increased transparency has allowed the Sutton family to make better and more responsive business decisions.

“Having open lines of communication allows us to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, rather than just taking a blind guess. By receiving appropriate feedback we get a realistic picture of what we’re doing, how it can be improved and where there are opportunities,” Mr Sutton said.

“Now, when we have an idea, we can assess very quickly whether it will be viable or not. We can see if it is worth exploring further and we have a better understanding of what would need to be in place outside of our business to make it work. It cuts down a lot of the trial and error phase of bringing in new products or changing product lines.”

Ms McCosker also recognises the importance of free-flowing information and adds value to her services by educating her customers about the source of the fresh produce they purchase.

“I want my customers to have a boutique-style providore experience. I like my staff to know exactly where everything is grown so that if a chef asks, they have the answers on hand,” Ms McCosker said.

“We provide a traceability report so my customers know how far the produce has travelled and we try to buy local where possible. We try to use sustainable solutions and packaging.

“It’s difficult to compete with the big guys, I just don’t have that capacity but we created a formula that will enable us to

Max Burns SBP Australia

grow organically. I’m not going to compete on price, it’s not the way my business works. I try to educate my customers so they realise the value of buying quality Australian produce, even if it costs more. I won’t buy anything in the market if it is not grown in Australia.”

For Mr Burns, understanding how a business operates and how individuals like to communicate allows for a smoother and more effective build.

“You learn how people communicate and you really have to be responsive to each individual business’ needs. Some want to know everything, while others only want your opinion on specific aspects of the build,” Mr Burns said.

“You also need to understand how a business moves pallets around, why they do it, and how they load the trucks.

“The original doorways from the loading docks on site were too tight to load the trucks, so there was a risk of the doorframes being damaged. We increased the width of the doorways to reduce the potential for damage and, for those who want to keep them as is, we install steel frames to protect them.”

Knowing what to expect A key component of transparency between consumers, retailers, buyers, wholesalers and growers is the ability to provide clear expectations and then fulfil those expectations, Mr Sutton said, which in turn will open up opportunities to further streamline the buying process.

“As a wholesaler, we need to give people the product that they expect. That’s not to say everything is a carbon copy; different customers have different expectations. It just means that whatever we say we will provide, we need to deliver and we need to correct the situation if we don’t deliver the product as expected,” Mr Sutton said.

“Likewise if the customer, and by extension the consumer, is more clear about their expectations, then it’s easier to deliver the product that’s expected. You don’t need to give away your business secrets, we’re just giving everyone the information that they need to do the job that we expect of them.”

For Ms McCosker, a consistent experience keeps her returning to the same suppliers and, in turn, keeps her own customers coming back.

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 27

PERSPECTIVES “I have preferred suppliers that have always looked after me.

They understand my business and they always provide a consistent product. There is so much value in knowing that you’ll always receive consistency,” Ms McCosker said.

While some businesses can be resistant to change, Mr Sutton said that the benefits of increased transparency could have positive application across the horticulture supply chain.

“There’s no reason why what we have learnt can’t be applied industry wide. The more open you are with information, the more chance there is to improve your business,” Mr Sutton said.

“Innovation is just people thinking and realising that something can be done better. The more people that are thinking about improving systems, the more likely you are to find those improvements sooner.”

Keeping it colder, longer One aspect of the fresh produce supply that has drastically improved over time is sustaining the cold chain from picking to eating.

Over the 40 years he has been building and maintaining cool room infrastructure, Mr Burns has witnessed a widening understanding of the cold chain’s importance.

“Tenants at Brisbane Markets know a lot about logistics, so they know that it is all about palletisation, holding the product at the appropriate temperature and moving it on as quick as they can,” Mr Burns said.

“Everyone realises how important the cold chain is now and they can see how long the produce lasts when that remains intact. It’s better for the wholesaler, the grower, the retailer and the consumer.”

Making the move to lease warehouse space at Brisbane Markets was a big step for Ms McCosker and having a cool room provides her with more options in her business.

“We have refrigerated vans and use the cool room while we are getting ready to do the morning deliveries,” Ms McCosker said.

“Even though I have space to store produce now, I still prefer not to buy too much stock in advance, however, I now have the ability to ripen bananas, tomatoes and avocados if it proves more cost effective.”

For Mr Sutton, maintaining the cold chain is a given, especially when there’s a mountain of evidence that shows that it provides a better end product for customers.

“We’ve seen the benefits of it the whole time that we’ve been operating and the technology keeps getting better. We only use transport companies that can offer the full end-to-end cold chain capabilities,” Mr Sutton said.

“More people are getting across the idea of maintaining cold chain from the earliest to the latest moment possible. It has filtered through to a retail level and now you see more ideas and changes occurring that really keep that freshness, extend the shelf life and give the consumer a better product in the end.”

This understanding of the importance of the cold chain is having an effect on the infrastructure at Brisbane Markets.

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“Most buildings on site are fitted with cool rooms, and even on the selling floor they are now an important fixture,” Mr Burns said.

Mr Sutton agrees, and said that Sutton Fresh Direct is making changes to further ‘cold chain proof’ their selling floor tenancy.

“We’re putting in new infrastructure to increase the amount of time that our product on display is maintained within that proper cold chain. There’s just no reason for the cold chain to be broken anymore,” Mr Sutton said.

Changing the markets for the better Improvements in technology, infrastructure and business operations have changed the dynamics of the Brisbane Markets.

“I think everyone has really lifted their game over the past 20-odd years, markets businesses have become a lot more professional over time,” Mr Burns said.

“Dealing with Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) has definitely changed for the better since moving away from state government ownership, and it has made a massive difference.

BML is a lot more involved in projects on site and their board and management have very strong knowledge of building and understand the needs of the Brisbane Markets site and its community.

“It is a pretty unique place to work and the people really do make it what it is. There are so many different nationalities, characters and people from all walks of life. I really enjoy working here and that’s probably the main reason I haven’t retired yet,” Mr Burns said.

Mr Sutton said he was surprised at how quickly Brisbane Markets has changed over the past six years.

“There’s been an enormous amount of change come through very rapidly. There are innovations that a lot of people wanted to implement years ago and, now the technology is available at a more realistic price point, uptake has increased,” Mr Sutton said.

“When there’s a lot of different businesses operating in a confined space, even though it’s a highly competitive environment. If there’s a better way to do something and the change is significantly beneficial, then everyone will get on board quite rapidly. When change occurs, it occurs quickly.

“The Brisbane Markets site functions very well. BML has been really good with being progressive and Brismark is great in their operations and how they’ve adapted as systems have changed over time. On a whole, it’s a great place that is always interesting and constantly changing, and I think it’s going in the right direction.”

Ms McCosker relishes the challenge and pressure that comes with- having to prove her abilities, and she has noticed changes in the way she is perceived in the markets.

“When I first started, it was a very male dominated industry. It was also very generational, with many people following in their family’s footsteps,” Ms McCosker said.

“Coming in as a very green, young female, it was an assault to the senses. Loud, chaotic, and a lot of people were very reserved to begin with. It took a few years to grind them down into taking me seriously. Now I’m like a piece of the furniture.”

As a service provider engaged by Brisbane Markets Limited, our proven effective & affordable solutions offer maximum protection, peace of mind & are available when you need them.

New face behind national retail program

By James Patrick, National Program Manager, A better choice!

A joint initiative of Fresh Markets Australia (FMA) and the Central Markets Association of Australia (CMAA), the A better choice! (ABC) program is designed to encourage consumers to shop for fresh produce at their local independent retailer and I have recently taken on the role as ABC’s National Program Manager.

FMA and CMAA have worked hand-inhand with industry to establish a strong digital presence and point of sale roll-out to retailers across all states. A National Retail Program Marketing Committee comprised of marketing representatives from state chambers and market landlords continue to have an overarching responsibility for the conduct of all marketing campaigns.

Three national campaigns were developed and delivered throughout

2020, with the ‘Go To Those Who Know’ campaign running from March to May, the ‘Veg Into Winter’ campaign running from June to August, and the recently completed ‘Spring Fresh’ campaign that ran from September to November.

These campaigns featured national radio advertising, influencers, social media advertising and retailer point of sale merchandise. Some states took the opportunity to build on the campaigns with local extended channels utilising their promotions budgets including television advertising and expanded radio and digital coverage.

In addition to the campaigns, the digital presence continued to be built with bespoke recipe development, blog articles and ‘always on’ social media with paid advertising and organic posts.

Website development continues with the aim to build the user experience to bring to life the call to action – shopping at your local fruit and veg shop is A better choice!

A three-year, fully costed, national brand and marketing plan has been established to build on the learnings from the past two years. It consists of activities that provide a clear direction for the execution of marketing on a national scale.

The strategic framework aims to deliver two annual ownable buying occasions and uses advocates to help amplify the buying occasions. Social and digital media will continue as they stand out as the core channels to deliver costeffective consumer reach to convey our call to action.

Campaign results from January to June 2020

14 million consumers reached on social media

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225k

website sessions

175k

Facebook followers

Wishing you a

SAFE AND HEALTHY Festive Season

Find Your Local Fruit Shop at abetterchoice.com.au

RETAILING

Spring Fresh campaign a success

The campaign delivered strong results and Queensland extended the marketing even further with advertising driving community support for local independent fruit and vegetable shops via social media and television, which performed above projected performance targets.

The Spring Fresh campaign, which ran from September to November, showcased everyday families in the community supporting their local independent fruit shops.

The campaign had two strong calls to action – “Look for the Logo” and “To find your local go to abetterchoice.com.au”. Point of sale material was distributed to A better choice! (ABC) retail stores to maximise the effectiveness of the campaign, with in-store activations including unique recipe cards.

Join the ABC family Being part of the national A better choice! (ABC) Retail Program is like gaining a whole new family.

That’s the experience of Skippy’s Fresh Frootz at Victoria Point who have recently joined the program.

Owner, Sam Eletri, saw the benefit of joining the ABC program to complement his brand. Like many ABC retailers, Mr Eletri’s ethos is to select fresh produce with great care, tasting and testing each morning from the Brisbane Produce Market.

Skippy’s has a strong focus on supporting local Australian growers by choosing the best quality produce from as close to the source as possible.

The benefits of being in ABC program include the license to use the ‘A better choice!’ brand, a managed social media presence, representation on the ABC website, participation in two campaigns each year with considerable TV, radio and digital advertising expenditure, in-store point of sale material, and business services provided by Brismark.

Television advertisements were placed on prime-time television programming across multiple channels including Channel Nine, Gem, Rush and Life in the Brisbane Metro area and on Channel 7 in regional areas.

Brisbane metro ads featured in between programs such as Nine News, The Block, Sunday Footy Show, Tipping point and Today Extra, with both channels and programming chosen specifically to target grocery buyers.

Live your Life Virtual Expo As a proud supporter of Diabetes Queensland, A better choice! (ABC) hosted an interactive virtual booth at the ‘Live Your Life’ expo at the end of National Diabetes Week in July.

This virtual expo, a first of its kind for people living with diabetes in Australia, presented a similar experience to attending in person, however, there was no travel involved, no crowds, no parking issues and no stress in finding the venue.

The event included the main auditorium where delegates could listen to 20-minute education sessions delivered by experts in their field. These sessions focused on supporting the emotional, physical and mental health of people living with diabetes.

In the exhibition hall, delegates could meet and view associated businesses who offered a wide range of products and services to support people living with diabetes with managing their condition.

Keeping spring fresh: one of the advertisements used in the Spring Fresh campaign.

The virtual ABC booth displayed images of independent retailers, fresh produce, and the ‘Shop Local to Veg In this Winter’ campaign television advertisement. This booth aimed to educate visitors about the importance of shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables from the local independent retailers and redirected consumers to the store locator on the ABC website.

Finally, the activity centre contained a fun and interactive treasure hunt designed to help the diabetes community explore the different areas of the event and to provide some extra education along the way. More than 3,000 people living with diabetes registered for the event with approximately 1,300 delegates participating in the various activities at the event’s peak viewing time.

“Eating a healthy diet that includes a range of fresh fruit and vegetables is important to the health and wellbeing of people who live with diabetes,” Diabetes Queensland CEO, Sturt Eastwood, said.

“Having the support of partners like the Brisbane Produce Market who are there to help share this message with our community through events like the virtual expo is so important to us.”

Make A better choice! and join the ABC family along with hundreds of retailers nationally who reap the advantages of the program by contacting Brismark’s Communications and Program Executive, Lisa Alexiou, at Brismark on 0447 498 108.

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A better choice! stand as it appeared at Diabetes Queensland’s virtual Live Your Life expo.

Milich named marketer of the year Mira Milich has taken the gong for Marketer of the Year at the Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) awards for excellence.

No stranger to Brisbane Markets, Ms Milich is a common sight in the Brisbane Produce Market promoting regional growers at Montague.

It is Ms Milich’s passion for not just marketing fresh fruit, but bringing growers, buyers and consumers together to build understanding, loyalty – and sales – that have made her marketing so powerful and earned her the 2020 Marketer of the Year award.

“I’m a connector,” she says simply.

Her hope for the award is that it will show how important it is for growers’ stories to be told so that consumers can learn more about the process of growing fruit and the people who do it.

“It is essential we share how our food is grower-delivered, the beautiful places it comes from and how much time and effort producers invest, so that people can value and appreciate the food they put on their table. It’s good to share, as it is the reality,” Ms Milich said.

This is an extract of an article that first appeared in the Australian Fruitgrower magazine, Spring 2020 issue. You can read the full story at https://bit.ly/3jVCX6n.

As well as stonefruit and apple growers in Queensland’s Granite Belt, she now represents stonefruit growers as far south as Victoria’s Goulburn Valley.

“There was all this beautiful fresh product on the market floor but we didn’t really see any of the farmers’ faces behind the product, and there was no education around it,” she said.

“I felt really strongly that it was time to tell the story and help Australia learn more about the growing regions and the fruit that they take into their home, not only to tell growers’ stories but also to educate the consumer about choosing fruit. There are great benefits in seeing the face behind ‘the brand’ and talking to them one-to-one.”

Building relationships has also built sales, Ms Milich says, as buyers familiar with the grower and happy with the fruit have consistently bought it themselves and told others about it.

The beautiful photos and ‘behind-the-scenes’ videos of growers and their families, and what’s going on in the orchard season by season, that have been shared with Divine Fruits’ growing online following have also changed perceptions and buying habits among consumers.

“To see growers in their orchards, their kids walking through and eating fruit, it’s very relatable,” Ms Milich said. “People don’t just comment on the post, they take the time to email and say they saw it and went and bought the fruit and please could I pass on to the growers that they were the best apples they’ve ever eaten.”

Bearing divine fruit: 2020 APAL Marketer of the Year Mira Milich.

IMAGE: Emily Bloomfield.

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 33

Industry

Members vote to update Hort Innovation’s Constitution Hort Innovation members voted to change the organisation’s constitution at a virtual Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on Friday, 9 October. The change relates to how directors are appointed to the Hort Innovation Board, and how long they can serve.

Under the updated constitution, all new directors will be elected to the Hort Innovation Board by voting members.

This is a change from the previous constitution, which saw the Board made up of a mix of directors elected by voting members and appointed by sitting directors. Under the new constitution, the only time directors can be appointed by the Board itself will be to cover casual vacancies of one year or less.

The request to hold the EGM was made by Hort Innovation member Perfection Fresh. The EGM was attended by a quorum of voting members, with 92.59% of votes cast being in favour

of amending the constitution.

With the new constitution in effect, Hort Innovation members elected three new directors to the Board at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the end November. The new directors are Tony Kelly, Michael Nixon and Victoria Taylor. Julie Bird was elected Chair, to replace outgoing Chair Selwyn Snell, and Paul Harker was voted in as Deputy Chair.

The updated Hort Innovation constitution, as determined by company members, also sets a new maximum service period for directors. All newly elected directors will have a maximum service period of two consecutive terms of three years (six years total), where under the former constitution, directors could serve up to three consecutive terms for a total period of nine years.

Working through the challenges of 2020

By Julia Wheway, Agriculture Workforce Officer – North Qld, Hosted by the Bowen Gumlu Growers Association 2020 has certainly presented Bowen Gumlu growers with some unique challenges, the impact of COVID-19 on the horticulture industry has tasked small and large growers alike to rise to the challenge and implement innovative measures to guard against the virus.

Growers have continued to produce the nation’s food under the Seasonal Workers Health Management Plans Directive, which was put into effect by the Chief Health Officer in early May 2020 to protect industry, workers and the community from the spread of COVID-19.

We can be proud of the current situation, where there have been no cases of COVID-19 impacting the horticulture industry in our region.

This has been achieved through the hard work of individual businesses, ensuring that the measures implemented have been upheld throughout the entire season, which is an incredible achievement.

Developing and implementing local solutions to the current seasonal worker shortages are central to my work as the Agriculture Workforce Officer for

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North Queensland. Talking to growers about their current and future workforce needs, assisting them with the ‘new normal’ of managing their seasonal workforce in a COVID-Safe environment and providing updates to industry about the various workforce initiatives, has assisted growers to keep up to date on relevant information, while continuing to supply their produce to markets this season.

Growers in our region have yet again proven their resilience in coping with market uncertainty and disasters of all kinds, in this case a global pandemic.

However, this does not mean that it has been easy for them, many decisions have been made about production levels without knowing if there will be a workforce available to get the produce to the marketplace and this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Locally, we have started to look at potential avenues for attracting workers to our industry. Timing is a great thing, an idea that has not worked in the past may well be the very best solution right now, so nothing is off the table. We are looking at cross sector employment

opportunities to develop a year-round opportunity for potential workers who would like to take up work in our region.

There is work available right now in one of the most beautiful places in the country, right on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef.

As Bowen Gumlu Growers Association president Carl Walker says, “where else in the world can you step off the tractor and go down to the local creek to put in your crab pots or on your days off go to Whitehaven Beach and visit the Whitsunday Islands?”

The vegetable season has reached its peak, so Carl may get the chance he dreams of to throw in a few pots with his son Troy, who has worked side by side with Carl for a number of years, learning the ropes.

We now move our attention to the highly anticipated mango season. We don’t know yet what will happen on the market or if we will have enough workers, but there is one thing we know for sure: our growers will do everything in their power to deliver the best quality product to market again this year, COVID or no COVID.

Barnard takes hold of the reins at Growcom Stephen Barnard has stepped into the role of CEO of Growcom, replacing David Thomson who left the position in August.

Growcom Chair, Belinda Adams, said she was pleased to announce Mr Barnard’s appointment.

“Stephen is a highly regarded and experienced senior executive with over 20 years in senior leadership roles in the services and agricultural sectors. His primary focus will be to ensure that the needs of our members are met, through optimising the structural and operational needs of the Growcom business,” Ms Adams said.

Stephen’s background includes many years working in member-based financial service sectors and consulting roles specialising in organisational turnarounds and customerfocused business change programs.

His previous roles have included Senior Consultant at KPMG, Senior Executive at international environmental services group Transpacific Industries, Chief Executive at Your Credit Union and Chief Change Officer at Australian Certified Organics Certification.

“At this very challenging and pivotal time for us all, I am very excited to be part of Growcom on it’s journey to be the best grower representative body we can be, working towards the sustainable future of the horticulture industry through effective advocacy on behalf of growers,” Mr Barnard said.

“Effective grower engagement, and the delivery of value and relevant services to members is my highest priority. I am looking forward to working with the whole Growcom team in engaging with as many of our grower members as possible, so as to properly understand and meet their needs.”

New Growcom CEO, Stephen Barnard.

Snapshot shows importance of water security for the Wide Bay Burnett

By Bree Grima, Managing Director, Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Who are we? This regional snapshot provides readers an insight to our region, one we hope you’ll visit soon. Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers (BFVG) represents fruit, vegetable, herb and nut producers in the Wide Bay Burnett.

The 48,598 km2 region enjoys a subtropical climate and rainfalls between 850 mm to 1150 mm and encompasses five local government areas: Bundaberg, North Burnett, South Burnett, Gympie and Fraser Coast.

The population for the Wide Bay area in 2018/19 was 299,465 with the region’s gross regional product estimated at $13.30 billion, representing 3.78% of the state’s gross state product. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing employed 8,990 full time equivalent people in 2018/19 and specifically 8,025 in agriculture alone representing 8% of all employment in the region. This figure does not consider the various associated industries such as manufacturing or services which are captured separately.

The state average is just 2.71% for agriculture highlighting the importance of this sector to the Wide Bay region. Statistics capturing change in employment recorded a decrease for numerous industries including trade and mining; however, in agriculture this increased by 223 full time equivalents, highlighting the increasing expansion of the industry even with a noticeably changing landscape within horticulture, from ground crops and sugar cane to tree plantings such as macadamia and avocado plantations.

Even with a slight decrease in ground crop plantings in the region, the vegetable industry in Bundaberg alone is valued in excess of $237 million, covering approximately 6,000 hectares, producing a diverse range of vegetable crops including capsicum, corn, beans, pumpkin, zucchini, Brussels sprouts and chili by more than 100 growers across the region.

Water security and food security are intricately linked. For a growing region that is the largest supplier and growing region for five commodities, sweet potato, macadamia, passionfruit, chili and avocado, it is vital that policy for water security moves beyond the immediate needs of the region and plans for the future to ensure producers have capacity to expand to meet market demand.

Water security supports healthy communities, jobs and productive economies and that is why BFVG are calling for the Queensland Government to stabilise Paradise Dam, our major water source in the region built for irrigation supporting over 1000 customers and to reinstate it to full supply level. If you would like to know more about Paradise Dam and the saga surrounding it head to https://bit.ly/3oRpAb3.

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 35

Mangoes fly high Millions of Australian mangoes are on their way to key export markets around the world, as part of the Australian Government’s International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM), however, some Queensland growers say they are at a disadvantage in the new scheme.

With a $317.1 million funding boost in October’s federal budget, IFAM continues to support Australian exporters, including mango growers, to get their high-quality produce overseas.

On 22 October, premium Australian mangoes started flying out of Brisbane to customers across the United States, with further flights from Sydney and Cairns to South Korea, China and the Middle East.

Federal Trade Minister, Simon Birmingham, said it was vital that mango growers across northern Australia could pick mangoes with confidence knowing their produce can get onto planes and over to key export markets.

“Our mango growers are expecting a bumper season and we want to make sure they can continue to get their high-

quality product over to their overseas customers,” Minister Birmingham said.

“Growers have worked incredibly hard to secure export contracts and build a strong reputation for premium, safe and reliable produce that remains in high demand across the globe.

“Our freight flights have already supported almost $2.5 billion in exports, maintaining important relationships with overseas customers at a time of significant uncertainty and export barriers.”

However, Queensland’s mango growers have said that a disparity in assistance between Northern Territory and Queensland could see a difference in up to $2 per box in the cost of production.

Australian mangoes are making their way across the seas to international markets.

Mango grower and Australian Mango Industry Association Chair, Ben Martin, said he wanted a fair go for all mango growers across Australia.

We need to develop sustainable market access and protocols into our exporting countries so we can weather storms like COVID,” Mr Martin said.

“There are a lot of restrictions on the flights going out — it’s at a huge cost and ultimately the grower bears that cost.

For more information on IFAM, please visit https://bit.ly/3em8lK4.

Make the connection DESIGN • WEB • PRINT

07 3040 4343 | EFFIGY.COM.AU PROUD DESIGNERS OF FRESH SOURCE MAGAZINE

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Record-breaking year for Australian exports

By Andréa Magiafoglou, CEO, Australian Horticultural Exporters’ and Importers’ Association

The 2019/20 trade data for Australian fresh fruit and vegetable exports is in, with combined fruit and vegetable exports reaching a total of 762,840 tonnes (up 4.1%) valued at $1.84 billion.

This result is a record breaker for the seventh consecutive year and was buoyed by strong outcomes for fruit exports at 547,137 tonnes (up 9.5% from 2018/19) and helped buffer a 7.4% volume reduction in vegetable exports over the same time period.

Aussie fruit find favour Across fresh fruit, China remains the most prominent export market destination by both volume and value (156,372 tonnes; $536.5 million).

However, export volume growth has eased from the substantial increases seen in previous years when strong gains in table grape and citrus exports coincided with new and/or improved market access conditions for stone fruit.

Japan has slid into the number two market for Australian fresh fruit exports by both value and volume (59,655 tonnes; $132.6 million), edging out Hong Kong which eased 4% by dollar value and 4.8% by volume; a reduction contributed to by increased direct trade to China. Overall fruit export volumes to Japan increased by 9% during 2019/20, with melon exports continuing to rise since entering the market in 2016.

Singapore and Indonesia round out the top 5 markets for Australian fresh fruit exports, with Indonesia recording a 23% decrease in volume driven by challenges

Fruit Total Exports Table Grapes Oranges Mandarins

Vegetables Total Exports Carrots Potatoes Onions

with import licensing on table grape exports to this market.

differently, and impacts shift as the landscape changes and seasons progress.

Slight drop for veg

As commented on previously, and to restate what is well known within industry, supply chain disruptions globally have created a challenging environment for fresh horticultural exporters and importers. However, a unifying shift towards coordination across horticultural industry bodies, supply chain participants, and federal and state governments has placed Australian exporters in good stead to optimise and expand on available opportunities to counter these ongoing challenges.

Full year trade results for fresh vegetable exports indicate a 7.4% easing in volume to 215,700 tonnes, however value remained steadier at $290 million, 3% down from the previous year. Singapore remains the leading market by value (at $52.4 million), and second largest by volume after the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Of all fresh vegetable exports to Singapore, carrots accounted for around 48% by volume at 13,500 tonnes and remain relatively steady compared to export volumes from previous years. Pumpkins lifted 24% by volume, while broccoli exports to Singapore declined 30%, mainly driven by challenging production conditions in 2019 and COVID-19 supply chain disruptions in 2020.

The UAE, Australia’s largest fresh vegetable export market by volume, remained relatively steady at 36,000 tonnes at $34.2 million. Onions to the UAE lifted to 3,500 tonnes, a 78% increase from 2018/19, with carrots continuing to contribute more than 80% of all Australian fresh vegetable exports to the UAE.

COVID-19 disruptions The above trade results for 2019/20 would not be complete without a brief commentary on COVID-19 impacts on fresh horticultural exports. The data outcomes reported above only partly reflect COVID-19 disruptions.

Various commodity groups are affected

The lessons and solutions we apply today will support and refine how we conduct business tomorrow, and ultimately provide a stronger and more resilient horticultural export industry in years to come.

Industry forum soon The Australian Horticultural Exporters’ and Importers’ Association is looking forward to holding the next Industry Forum in early 2021. The Industry Forum is designed to connect members, update industry on the state of the global market and hear directly from Australian Government representatives involved in horticulture trade.

Previous years have attracted leading decision-makers involved in Australia’s international fresh produce trade with vibrant discussions covering key issues facing the sector. The Industry Forum is open to members and non-members alike. More information will be provided once details are finalised.

2018/19 (t) 499,521 153,363 191,780 65,580

2019/20 (t) 547,137 160,790 210,329 86,855

Difference 9.5% 5% 10% 32%

2019/20 ($m) 1,553.7 640.5 326.6 208.1

2018/19 (t) 232,953 111,876 39,210 48,687

2019/20 (t) 215,702 106,813 41,407 38,535

Difference -7.4% -5% 6% -21%

2019/20 ($m) 290 94.08 34.97 31.34

Source: AHEIA trade reports are prepared by Fresh Intelligence Consulting using ABS (2020) via ITC Trademap.

Summer 2020 FRESH SOURCE 37

Export

Potato growers big winners in Thailand Two key commitments from the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) have now been realised, improving market access for Australian potato exporters into the Thai market.

“Even in the midst of the current economic climate, demand has continued to be strong for Australian fresh vegetables and potatoes in export markets, with enquiries still coming in from a range of international trading partners,” Mr Coote said.

Thailand has now implemented zero tariffs and removed tariff rate quotas that limited the volume of Australian seed and processing potatoes that could access the lower TAFTA tariff, meaning Australian seed and processing potato exports to Thailand are no longer subject to tariffs or limits on volume.

Processing potatoes produced in all states are permitted to import into Thailand subject to phytosanitary requirements.

Seed potatoes from South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia are currently approved by Thailand’s Department of Agriculture for export to Thailand.

According to AUSVEG National Manager – Export Development Michael Coote, Australian potato growers stand to benefit from the increasing of trade into Thailand following the removal of tariff volumes and rates.

“Australian potato growers are in a strong position to take advantage of opportunities in Thailand, which is becoming an increasingly important export market for Australian vegetable and potato growers,” said Mr Coote.

“Thailand is an emerging market for Australian potatoes, in particular, with the Asian market currently the second largest importer of Australian potatoes behind South Korea.”

Last year Australia’s global fresh vegetable exports were valued at $299 million. In the 2018/19 financial year, Australian vegetable exports to Thailand were valued at $15 million, following strong growth in the Thai market over the past three years. The top vegetable exports to Thailand are onions, carrots, potatoes, celery and broccoli; potatoes make up 25% of total Australian vegetable exports to Thailand.

Australian potatoes are proving a hit in Thailand.

Table grapes exports hit record high Australian table grape exports have hit record highs for both value and volume this financial year.

The total value of product sent overseas was $622,947,485 – an increase of 67% over the past three years. Meanwhile, 152,200 tonnes of table grapes were exported, up 47% with 110,280 tonnes exported in the 2018 financial year.

Hort Innovation General Manager Marketing and Trade, Justine Coates, said the record exports were a result of a strong season prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The table grape success was underpinned by the production of high-quality fruit, being able to export some product prior to significant global disruption and the ability to sea freight product,” she said.

Asian markets were the biggest buyers of Australian table grapes over the financial year, with China taking up 42% of the total volume exported.

South Korea saw a 152% year-on-year increase in volume, with a 951% growth over the past two years. The Philippines also recorded a 29% rise in their share of exports this year.

38 FRESH SOURCE

Summer 2020

The top export for Australian fruit was table grapes, both in value and volume.

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