WA Grower Winter 17

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WA Grower Agricultural Produce Commission

SINCE 1948 Vol. 52 No 2. Winter 2017

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WA Grower 12 YOUR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

Vol. 52 No 2. Winter 2017

48

29 3

Nothing beets genuine school grown produce

54

vegetablesWA Chief Executive Officer

4

Aussie plant biosecurity gets a tech injection

58

vegetablesWA President’s report

6

National Vegetable Extension Network update

59

New vegetablesWA staff

6

WA growers industry’s best

60

APC vegetable Fee for Service

7

Permits

113

President report — Potato Growers Association

8

Potato Growers Association update

9

POMEWEST

61

Executive Manager Report

62

Market quality testing

64

11

Team Bravo attended Hort Connections

65

12

WA launch

66

Tomato potato psyllid quarantine area

14

Improving natural control of mites in WA

68

A national focus on the tomato potato psyllid incursion

16

Developing an on-farm biosecurity plan

18

2017–18 Federal Budget

70

What is a cover crop worth?

22

Who gets skin cancer?

74

TOOL TIME

27

Horticulture Code of Conduct

76

FarMate

28

How the Horticulture Code helps you

78

Robotic capsicum harvesters in development

29

Growcom new initiative

84

Edible ink offers new label solution

30

Enforcement of the Horticulture Code of Conduct

86

Be prepared — managing risks in your business

90

Single Touch Payroll

92

New-look potato marketing program for 2017 YOUR PRODUCTION Tomato potato psyllid update

YOUR INDUSTRY

10

31

State Horticulture Forum

32

New technology deployed in the war against weeds

34

Reduction in soil borne disease

36

Gascoyne Food Festival

39

Cucurbit virus disease

40

Smart urban farm factories

44

Water Minister Dave Kelly talks water security

46

Gascoyne aquifer update

48

Adoption of precision systems technology

52

YOUR BUSINESS

69

YOUR MARKET

93

2017 AUSVEG Reverse Trade Mission

94

Protecting your brand is protecting your integrity

96

Organic fruit and vegetable popularity on the rise

98

Pumpkin piling

99

Opportunities for WA agrifood exports in Asia

100

Market access update — tomato potato psyllid complex 102 VIETNAMESE TRANSLATIONS

106

WA Grower WINTER 2017

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Produced by

vegetablesWA

Cover photo: Francis Tedesco at Center West Exports Contact details for Horticulture House vegetablesWA, Potato Growers Association, HorticultureWA 103 Outram Street West Perth 6005 t: (08) 9481 0834 f: (08) 9481 0024 e: office@vegetableswa.com.au Chief Executive Officer John Shannon m: 0488 111 526 e: john.shannon@vegetableswa.com.au Finance & Communications Manager Rebecca Blackman t: (08) 9481 0834 e: finance@vegetableswa.com.au Vietnamese Industry Extension Officer Truyen Vo m: 0457 457 559 e: truyen.vo@vegetableswa.com.au Industry Extension Officer Sam Grubisa m: 0427 373 037 e: sam.grubisa@vegetableswa.com.au Benchmark Lead Bryn Edwards m: 0417 409 821 e: bryn.edwards@vegetableswa.com.au Market Development Manager Claire McClelland m: 0477 477 044 e: claire.mcclelland@vegetableswa.com.au Life Members A.J. Anderson*, D.J. Arbuckle, J. Arbuckle Snr*, J.H. Arbuckle* (M.B.E.J.P), H.R. Ashby*, S. Calameri, A. Harris*, A. Ingrilli, G. Kiriros*, R.G. Leach*, F. Natoli, S. Sawle*, R.M. Schultz, C.P. Stevens, W.R. Stevens* (M.B.E.J.P) and J. Turley. * Deceased

Management Committees Vegetable Growers Association President Dan Kuzmicich m: 0408 910 761

Carnarvon

Vice President Maurice Grubisa m: 0413 050 182

Metro North

Committee M. Dobra L. East P. Ivankovich A. Natoli B. Nguyen D. Nguyen P. Shain H. Shapland

m: 0417 174 110 m: 0419 047 371 m: 0428 919 211 t: (08) 9405 4817 m: 0418 939 982 t: (08) 9941 8376 m: 0419 041 045 t: (08) 9845 1064

Gingin Manjimup Myalup Metro North Geraldton Carnarvon Carnarvon Albany

Potato Growers Association President Vaughan Carter m: 0417 092 505

Busselton

Vice President Daniel Omodei m: 0427 761 121

Pemberton

Treasurer Mia Rose m: 0409 112 245

Myalup

Committee C. Ayres G. Bendotti R. Humfrey D. Terrigno

m: 0428 451 014 Albany m: 0427 569 903 Pemberton m: 0427 148 832 Gingin/Dandaragan m: 0417 771 333 Manjimup

Graphic Design Josephine Eynaud, Redtail Graphic Design

This issue of the WA Grower is brought to you by: • APC — Vegetable Producers Committee • Potato Growers Association • vegetablesWA • Pomewest

Articles reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher.

YOUR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

YOUR

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

WA Grower WINTER 2017

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YOUR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

vegetablesWA

Chief Executive Officer

BY JOHN SHANNON CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VEGETABLESWA

It continues to be a very tough place in parts of the vegetable industry given the ongoing impacts of the Tomato Potato Psyllid. However, prices on other lines have stayed strong and there are some great opportunities for our industry into the future.

Firstly, we are very pleased to welcome Ms Sam Grubisa to the team as our new Industry Extension Officer. She has worked in the family vegetable growing business at Wanneroo for the last decade and many will already know either Sam or her broader family. She brings a lot of practical experience and we’re excited at the way Sam can help growers in her new role. Before taking the role Sam had been on the vegetablesWA Committee of Management for a year and had participated in other activities such as the vegetablesWA Young Growers Tour and the Industry Summit. vegetablesWA is collaborating with the Queensland Department of Agriculture to deliver a precision agriculture demonstration project, funded by Hort Innovation, with sites at Capel and Woodridge. I think that these sorts of technologies; precision and digital technologies, will become increasing important for growers into the future.

Bryn Edwards at vegetablesWA is still progressing a vegetable industry benchmarking concept which should provide growers with another vital tool in the kit.

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WA Grower WINTER 2017

Contact us to receive your weekly enews

FREE

VEGETABLESWA is collaborating with the Queensland Department of Agriculture to deliver a precision agriculture demonstration project.

On a policy note, the new West Australian government continues to settle in and find its feet. It has been very pleasing to see our new Agriculture and Regional Development Minister, Alannah MacTiernan, take such a strong position in assisting our industry in responding to the Tomato Potato Psyllid where she could.

Things will become more challenging into the future as government confronts the scale of the budgetary challenge in front of WA given what has happened to all our GST receipts heading East. I fear that there will be significant increases in the price of electricity in the coming months for business for example.

At a federal level I also encourage all growers to make themselves aware of the new Horticulture Code of Conduct provisions, which seek to improve the trading relationships between growers and wholesalers. Keeping written documentation is a strong first step in protecting yourself against less scrupulous operators.

West Australian growers who don’t receive our free weekly enews should also get in touch so we can update your contact details.

Recent crisis responses have showed that it’s a great way to stay up-to-date when the situation can change much more quickly than in a less frequent hard copy of the magazine. vegetablesWA can be contacted on (08) 9481 0834 or email office@vegetableswa.com.au MORE INFORMATION John Shannon, phone 0488 111 526 or email john.shannon@vegetableswa.com.au

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YOUR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

President’s report New

BY DAMIR KUZMICICH PRESIDENT, VEGETABLESWA

Harvest season is upon us here in the Gascoyne Region (Carnarvon), it has been a bit of a struggle to get to this point with the biosecurity incursion of Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP) however things are looking good so far.

Driving around Carnarvon and talking to growers, the vegetables are growing well and there is a nice tinge of green everywhere, and the weather is good.

I have also been talking to vegetable growers in the Perth Metro Area and Geraldton region and they are saying the same thing, everything is growing well.

The larger growers are finding it very hard with the restriction of trade since TPP has landed on our door step. With the high cost of labour, some growers are saying that growing is becoming unviable. The trade restriction in the Eastern states has created a glut in the Perth market, in particular broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, corn and more.

There is major work to be undertaken to reach an agreement between states to resolve the trade restrictions, grower’s need a remedy to help them through this difficult time. vegetablesWA are working with growers and government to speed up the process for trade to the east but the states need to work together on this major problem.

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I attended the Hort Connection conference in Adelaide on the 15–17th of May, which was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, with attendance of 2,300 delegates from around Australia.

I caught up with fellow growers from Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland.

It is always good to have a chat with growers around the country and compare growing practices and challenges in dayto-day growing. I do enjoy going to these conferences as it keeps me in touch with growers from around Australia and keeps me up-to-date with the latest technology in our industry. I urge all growers to attend these functions, there are benefits to be gained. vegetablesWA have a new Industry Extension Officer, Sam Grubisa. She has joined our team and we are looking forward to her input in helping growers with any problems that arise please make Sam feel welcome.

Well it’s time for me to say good bye till next time as I have more spraying to do, a grower’s work is never done.

Stay well.

MORE INFORMATION Contact Dan Kuzmicich on 0408 910 761 or damir.kuzmicich@bigpond.com

vegetablesWA

staff

We are pleased to inform you that we have engaged an outstanding new Industry Extension Officer, Sam Grubisa.

As you will be aware Sam has been on our Committee of Management and has stepped down. Sam has worked in a range of roles most recently as a grower and is very familiar with all aspects of this role.

She has great experience across a range of subjects and will be an asset to the vegetablesWA team.

Sam formally started with vegetablesWA on the 22nd May however attended Hort Connections in Adelaide as part of the vegetablesWA team and to meet with the wider project VegNET team.

MORE INFORMATION Sam can be contacted on 0427 373 037 or email sam.grubisa@vegetableswa.com.au.

Sam looks forward to meeting and assisting growers.

This position is funded by APC-VPC fee for service levy and Horticulture Innovation Australia limited using National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

YOUR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

Remittance of the

APC vegetable Fee for Service charge by a dealer The APC currently receives payments remitted by a number of organisations on behalf of Western Australian vegetable growers.

The following is a refresher to assist in the remittance of the Fee for Service (FFS) charge to the APC. • The FFS is the fee paid by Western Australian vegetable growers1, at the first point of sale, on vegetables grown in Western Australia (excluding vegetables grown in Kununurra).

• The FFS is remitted to the APC via an APC Return Form2 (available from www.apcwa.org.au), by the wholesaler/market agent/dealer to whom a grower sells his produce at the first point of sale. This return form requires statistical information3 which must be supplied.

A penalty of a $2,000 fine can be imposed for non-compliance. If you do not have an agreement with the APC which states that payment can be made other than monthly you MUST remit the payment each month.

• The vegetable FFS is currently based on a ‘per package’ system. There are three ‘per package’ weight categories which apply. These are: 0–100kgs

0.05 per package

101–1000kgs

0.40 per package

er tonne in trailers p and trucks

0.70 per tonne

DEALERS are required to advise growers of the FFS deducted and remitted on the growers behalf.

• Dealers are required to advise growers of the FFS deducted and remitted on the growers behalf5.

• The APC can provide growers a validation report of payments made on their behalf.

MORE INFORMATION If you have any queries in relation to understanding the vegetable FFS charge rate or the payment process please contact the APC (apcmanager@agric.wa.gov.au or apcadmin@ agric.wa.gov.au).

For more information contact Agricultural Produce Commission: T: (08) 9368 3127 E: apc@agric.wa.gov.au 5 Agricultural Produce (Horticultural Industry) Regulations 2001 Sec 6A (4)

— Exception: A grower can elect to pay their own FFS directly to the APC. Should a grower advise you that they have elected to remit their own FFS they must provide you with an APC exemption form which has been approved by the APC. • If you are not purchasing produce at the first point of sale, you are not required to remit FFS to the APC. • FFS is required to be remitted to the APC within 14 days of the end of the month4 in which the produce was traded, unless alternative arrangements have been made with the APC. 1 Agricultural Produce Commission Act 1988 Part 3 Sec 14 (1) 2 Agricultural Produce (Horticultural Industry) Regulations 2001 Sec 8 (1) 3 Agricultural Produce (Horticultural Industry) Regulations 2001 Sec 4 4 Agricultural Produce (Horticultural Industry) Regulations 2001 Sec 6A (6)

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YOUR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

OUR seed producers in Albany are currently heavily affected by trade restrictions.

President report

— Potato Growers Association

BY VAUGHAN CARTER PRESIDENT, POTATO GROWERS ASSOCIATION

Our industry has really been belted from pillar to post since the Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP) outbreak. Unfortunately this biosecurity outbreak has made us all aware of how challenging and fickle our agriculture industry can be.

Our seed producers in Albany are currently heavily affected by trade restrictions which will see hefty financial consequences and job losses within the local community.

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WA Grower WINTER 2017

As the window closes quickly for seed sales going to the eastern seaboard due to trade restrictions, the PGA and other fresh produce representative bodies met with Alanna MacTiernan, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) and Biosecurity WA.

The discussion was positive and our Agriculture Minister is highly aware as to seriousness of this outbreak and made it very clear that resources were being heavily directed to the TPP problem.

We all want a quick outcome to resolve trade restrictions but unfortunately the scope and magnitude of what we are dealing with takes a massive amount of time and resources.

I commend DAFWA since the outbreak was identified. The communication between the farmer and department has been respectful and diligent. The damage to people’s livelihoods due to the outbreak spreads far and wide.

With continued support from Government, both federal and state, DAFWA and other related departments, may we find a resolution that works for all.

Thanks to Simon and Morena for their sustained hard work. Thanks to Colin Ayres and Darryl Smith for their time and assistance. I hope for some positive outcomes before too long.

MORE INFORMATION To contact Vaughan call 0417 092 505 or email marybrook438@gmail.com

YOUR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

Potato Growers Association update SIMON MOLTONI EXECUTIVE OFFICER, POTATO GROWERS ASSOCIATION

The black cat that crossed the path of the WA potato industry continues to leave its mark.

With the closure of Smiths, deregulation and the incursion of the Tomato Potato Psyllid all growers have been experiencing challenging times.

The unfolding TPP incursion is leading to hardship in many areas. Seed growers with contracts to the eastern states have been caught with seed that does not have a home. In some cases this product has been processed or sold on the local fresh market which has in turn led to oversupply. Ware growers in turn are experiencing a slowing of sales and reduced returns.

At this stage international exports are continuing unaffected. Hopefully this remains the case until such time as we can implement a national management plan which we hope will satisfy our trading partner’s biosecurity concerns and allow trade to continue.

Addressing the interstate market access issues continues to be our number one priority. This is proving to be a scientific, administrative and political minefield.

We hope that by the time this article is printed that the National Transition to Management plan that has been prepared by DAFWA, with contribution from industry has been accepted by the National Management Group. This should include an acceptable way forward for all jurisdictions on market access issues.

In other biosecurity news WA is dealing with market access requests frequently including potatoes from SA with Pest Risk Analysis for PCN and more recently bacterial wilt. It is critical that we address these requests carefully and thoroughly according to any agreements we have with our interstate partners.

The National ‘Hort Connections’ Conference was held in Adelaide from the 15th–17th May. This massive event proved to be a great success with all the latest information and technologies on display. It was also a great opportunity for me to attend a number of meetings which included representatives from other states and New Zealand to discuss issues surrounding TPP and zebra chip.

This networking opportunity for us will prove invaluable as we address these issues going forward.

Keep an eye out for the new potato marketing campaign. We are due to launch in early July and are very excited to deliver this significant project for all growers. More information will be sent to growers as the campaign approaches.

Happy growing days.

MORE INFORMATION Simon Moltoni, Potato Growers Association of WA, call 0447 141 752 or email simon. moltoni@vegetableswa.com.au

ORGANIC

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YOUR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

New-look potato marketing program for 2017 Potato Growers Association appoints new agency to meet the needs of the next generation potato industry.

Over the past six months, the Potato Growers Association (soon to be WA Potatoes), have been working towards appointing a local agency to deliver the promotion and marketing program for the WA potato industry. The lengthy process sought to evaluate and assess agency submissions to find the best option for the industry.

The continuation of many industry activities was in doubt after deregulation in 2016. However, the state-wide marketing program was given a lifeline through government funding allocated specifically for the purpose.

The winning agency, appointed last month, is Breadbox Marketing and PR, based in East Fremantle. The team at the agency delivered a comprehensive pitch, offering a value for money, a detailed, engaging approach which is sure to make a splash when it launches in July.

THERE will be a focus on local food champions, great recipes and pushing the important health and convenience messages to drive consumption.

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Breadbox Marketing and PR has a host of well-known local clients, including WA egg farmers, Golden Eggs and West Australian Homebuilder, Smart Homes for Living.

Agency Director and Founder Emma Potter said “The WA Potatoes brief combines our strengths in both advertising, PR and strategic communications to take challenging messages to market, shifting perceptions and improving understanding around whole food products, simplifying decision making and ultimately improving sales,” continues Emma.

Strategic program launch

July 2, 2017

“Our new clients support our continued passion for specialisation in agriculture, healthcare, and the built environment.

We are excited to challenge our team to push the innovation boundaries across an increasingly complex multi-channel landscape which embraces traditional media in conjunction with PR, social and quality content,” said Emma.

The strategic program will launch on July 2nd utilising a range of channels to maximise reach to consumers in WA. Activities will include TV, website and social media, outdoor advertising as well as a supporting PR and communications strategy targeting local press opportunities.

The program will also capitalise and continue on from the successful Fresh Potatoes activities, including relaunching Seed for Schools in 2018, focusing on local food champions, great recipes and pushing the important health and convenience messages to drive consumption.

In the lead up to the campaign, growers have contributed to an industry survey that closed at the end of June. Growers should have also received information packs about the marketing program in the mail.

MORE INFORMATION If you would like more information or you haven’t received the pack, please get in contact with the office at the details below.

Simon Moltoni, Executive Officer M: 0447 141 752 P: (08) 9481 0834 E: simon.moltoni@vegetableswa.com.au

YOUR PRODUCTION

YOUR

PRODUCTION

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YOUR PRODUCTION

Tomato potato psyllid update

5,500 MyPestGuide reports

BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FOOD WA

Tomato potato psyllid (TPP) was in found in Western Australia for the first time in February 2017, prompting a national biosecurity response.

TPP is an exotic plant pest which feeds on tomato, potato, capsicum, chilli, goji berry, tamarillo, eggplant as well as sweet potato, leading to loss of plant vigour and yield.

TPP can carry a bacterium called Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) which is associated with the potato disease ‘zebra chip’. At the time of writing (May) there has been no detection of the CLso bacterium in Australia or Western Australia.

Over the past three months, the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) has had more than 230 staff working on the response and has carried out extensive trapping and surveillance throughout Perth and the State’s horticulture production regions to check for the pest and take measures to stop it spreading.

NYMPH and adults at different stages (the lighter colour is a younger adult vs the darker colour is an older adult)

Since the incident began in excess of:

DAFWA commends industry and the community for their efforts in this response as they continue to examine the best way to manage this pest and support growers into the future.

• 10,000 ‘sticky traps’ have been deployed

• 1,600 properties have been surveyed across WA for TPP/CLso • 30,000 tubers, which equates to more than six tonnes of potatoes, have been tested • 5,500 MyPestGuide reports have been received The determination that TPP is not technically feasible to eradicate was endorsed at a National Management Group meeting held in April 2017. As a result, DAFWA has moved its focus to increasing confidence levels that CLso in TPP is not present in Western Australia.

With support of National Management Group, DAFWA is working with WA’s horticulture industry and national partners on a plan to prepare industry on how to manage the pest. This plan will include targeted surveillance, control options on-farm, supply chain management, and restoring access to interstate markets for affected produce.

10,000 ‘sticky traps’ have been deployed.

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YOUR PRODUCTION

New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory have emergency interstate movement controls in place for the psyllid and CLso host fruit, vegetables and plant material, and used machinery and equipment from WA. NSW, Victoria and South Australia have introduced additional restrictions on a much broader range of conditional non-host plants and produce. The market access team has been working with the other states and industry to review these restrictions.

Full details of the entry conditions are updated on the NSW, Victorian and South Australian department websites.

Exporters should contact the Quarantine WA Exports Officer to verify export requirements.

A

Surveillance Over the month of May, concentrated trapping for the psyllid in the metropolitan control area is being undertaken to test for the CLso bacteria. Testing of any psyllids trapped will build confidence that CLso is not present in WA. Moving forward DAFWA surveillance activities will be scaled back during the cooler months when the psyllid is less active.

B

C

Check and report Commercial growers are encouraged to continue to check for, and report sightings of unusual insects or damage to their plants through the MyPestGuide reporter app or by contacting the department on 1800 084 881.

Good farm biosecurity procedures should be in place to prevent the entry, establishment and spread of pests and diseases.

A: Harvested capsicums to be buried when a quarantine notice is issued.

B: TPP workshop held in Wanneroo.

C: Recommended chemicals to control TPP.

Interstate trade restrictions A Quarantine Area Notice currently remains in place to help minimise the spread of TPP (see page 14). DAFWA is undertaking a cost-benefit analysis of maintaining the Quarantine Area Notice in consultation with industry.

DAFWA has established a market access team to develop protocols to help facilitate interstate trade for Western Australian produce which has been restricted as a result of the psyllid detection.

MORE INFORMATION More information on biosecurity is available at the Farm Biosecurity website: www.farmbiosecurity.com.au For the latest information go to: agric.wa.gov.au/tpp Industry contacts for growers: • vegetablesWA P: (08) 9481 0834 E: office@vegetableswa.com.au • Potato Growers Association of WA P: (08) 9481 0834 E: potatoes@vegetableswa.com.au • Nursery and Garden Industry Western Australia Matthew Lunn, Chief Executive Officer P: 0410 714 207 E: matthew@ngiwa.com.au • Department of Agriculture and Food, WA Rohan Prince, Industry Liaison P: 0429 680 069 E: rohan.prince@agric.wa.gov.au

Department of Agriculture and Food

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YOUR PRODUCTION

Approved manner of preparation

for movement from the tomato potato psyllid quarantine area Clauses 5–12 of the Quarantine Area Notice (gazetted 27 March 2017) entitled BACTERICERA COCKERELLI (TOMATO POTATO PSYLLID OR TPP) AND CANDIDATUS Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) PERTH METROPOLITAN AREA and SPECIFIED ADJACENT DISTRICTS (the ‘QAN’) outline how host plants, produce of host plants and any machinery or equipment used in association with host plants may be moved from the quarantine area.

Clause 13 of the QAN allows for further approved methods of preparation for movement from the quarantine area to be published on the department’s website. The manner of preparation for movement outlined below is hereby approved as an alternative approved method under the QAN.

b) washed with sanitized water on rotating roller brushes for a minimum of 30 seconds; or

2.3 All host produce is securely packed post treatment to prevent infestation with TPP, by either:

c) washed with sanitized water under flat fan water nozzles with a water pressure above 200kpa (29psi) for a minimum of 20 seconds; and

a) using unvented packages;

b) wrapping or bagging host produce in plastic sleeves or bags; or

Solanaceous fruit movement

c) shrink wrapping palletised host produce.

The preparation for movement of any solanaceous fruit produced on a property in the control zone or subject to a Pest Control Notice may be moved in the following manner.

2.2 All host produce is passed by/ under multiple fans to be blown dry in order to be free of water or any other debris; and

1) Fumigation with methyl bromide for two hours at one of the following rates: Flesh temperature (°C)

Methyl bromide (g/m3)

21–31.9

32

16–20.9

40

11–15.9

48

10–10.9

56

Under the QAN for TPP, this preparation must be evidenced by records, which include details of treatment, treatment provider, transporters and consignees, to be made available upon request.

2) CA-11 ‘Washing Tomato Potato Psyllid Host Produce’ 2.1 All TPP host produce in the consignment must be either:

14

a) dipped in continuously agitated sanitized water containing a food grade non-ionic surfactant at rates specified on the label for 3 minutes; or

WA Grower WINTER 2017

ALL TPP host produce must be either dipped or washed in sanitized water.

Host produce includes all produce from the Solanaceae and Convolvulaceae families.

YOUR PRODUCTION

Commercial host plant seedling movements for ornamentals/ nursery stock In accordance with clause 13 of the QAN, the following is an alternative approved manner to that outlined at clause 6(b) for the preparation for movement of host plant ornamentals/nursery stock under the circumstances outlined below.

Where: 1) The movement is intrastate only; 2) From a property either within the control zone or the subject of a Pest Control Notice;

TPP

Quarantine area

Coorow (S) Mount Marshall (S)

Dalwallinu (S)

3) Relates to host plant ornamentals/nursery stock only; 4) The treatment is being completed no more than 36 hours prior to the movement. The plant material must be sprayed with 40mL/100L of 240g/L active of spirotetramat (APVMA permit #81707) and 50mL/100L to a maximum of 1.5L for 18g/L abamectin (the registered rate for two-spotted mite on ornamentals) or 25mL/100L of the 80g/L active of bifenthrin (Permit # 10043) up to 14 days prior to movement; and

Moora (S) Dandaragan (S) Koorda (S) Mukinbudin (S) Wongan-Ballidu (S)

Westonia (S)

Victoria Plains (S)

Dowerin (S)

Gingin (S)

Trayning (S)

Nungarin (S)

Wyalkatchem (S)

Goomalling (S) Toodyay (S) Kellerberrin (S)

Merredin (S)

Cunderdin (S) Tammin (S)

Northam (S) Swan (S)

Mundaring (S)

York (S) Bruce Rock (S) Quairading (S) Narembeen (S) Beverley (S)

Armadale (C)

Brookton (S) SerpentineJarrahdale (S)

Corrigin (S)

5) No more than 36 hours prior to movement, sprayed with 200mL/100L of the 225g/L active of methomyl (Permit # 82428).

Pingelly (S) Wandering (S)

Murray (S)

Kulin (S) Cuballing (S) Wickepin (S) Boddington (S)

Waroona (S)

Narrogin (S) Lake Grace (S)

Williams (S)

Harvey (S)

Dumbleyung (S) Wagin (S)

Collie (S)

NOTE: DO NOT use methomyl in protected cropping situations, such as glasshouses, greenhouses, plastic houses, plastic tunnels or shade houses.

West Arthur (S) Capel (S)

Kent (S)

Woodanilling (S) DonnybrookBalingup (S)

Katanning (S)

Busselton (C) Boyup Brook (S) Kojonup (S) BroomehillTambellup (S)

BridgetownGreenbushes (S)

AugustaMargaret River (S)

Gnowangerup (S) Nannup (S)

Cranbrook (S)

Jerramungup (S)

If labels permit then spirotetramat could be tank mixed with either abamectin or bifenthrin to reduce length of spray regime.

Manjimup (S) Plantagenet (S)

Albany (C)

MORE INFORMATION Denmark (S)

Tomato Potato Psyllid Quarantine Area 0

20

40

60

Kilometres

80

100

Legend Tomato Potato Psyllid Quarantine Area Control Zone Suppression Zone Watch Zone Local Government Area

REFERENCE: Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator Datum: Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 Grid: Map Grid of Australia 1994 Zone 50 Vertica Datum: Australian Height Datum 1971 Date: 23/03/17 Job Number: 2017037 File: TPP_QuarantineZones DISCLAIMER While all reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of the material in this document, the Western Australian Government and its officers accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions it may contain whether caused by negligence or otherwise or for any loss, however caused, sustained by any person who relies on it.

For more information on CA-11 or to seek certification in order to be accredited to send host produce under this protocol, please contact Quarantine WA Exports Officer: Phone: (08) 9334 1800; fax: (08) 9334 1880; or email: qa@agric.wa.gov.au

Department of Agriculture and Food

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A national focus

on the tomato potato psyllid incursion 3mm

Exotic Plant Pest Hotline ADULT TPP is black with a white stripe on its back. It resembles a small winged cicada and is about three millimetres long.

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1800 084 881

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BY DR KEVIN CLAYTONGREENE AUSVEG

In February, the destructive tomato-potato psyllid was discovered in a Perth backyard.

After an incident definition phase lasting six weeks, this incursion is now in the response phase.

AUSVEG Biosecurity Adviser Dr Kevin Clayton-Greene explains.

Much has been written about the tomatopotato psyllid (TPP; Bactericera cockerelli) and the threat that it poses to Australian horticulture. At the time of writing, a shortterm Response Plan has been enacted by the National Management Group (NMG) following the detection of TPP in Western Australia.

The purpose of this Response Plan was to allow more time to gather critical information to determine the extent of the incursion and enable a more informed decision about eradication feasibility.

Importantly, it also allowed owner reimbursement costs to flow to those properties affected, however it needs to be kept in mind that this will only be to growers who are covered by a Plant Health Levy (for example, potato and capsicum).

Tomato producers are excluded as they are not signatories to the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed and do not have a levy.

At the conclusion of this Response Plan, the NMG decided that eradication was not feasible due to the widespread distribution of TPP in the Perth metropolitan area; that available treatments cannot guarantee eradication; and the difficulty in detecting TPP on crops when they exist in only small numbers.

STICKY traps should be erected about 30cm above the crop and checked regularly — at least weekly.

As a consequence, a 12-month Transition to Management Program is being developed so that the impact of the pest can be both managed and minimised. This plan will be put together by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia with involvement of all parties, both government and industry. Once developed, the Plan will be put through the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests and NMG process for approval.

Zebra chip update At the time of writing, we have still have not detected Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, the organism which causes zebra chip in potatoes, and plant death.

However the organism only occurs in a low percentage of psyllids, therefore proving absence may take some time.

We do know that the type of TPP is the same as the one detected in New Zealand and in the Western states of the United States (there are four known biotypes). However, it is not known how it arrived in Western Australia – and we probably never will. It either arrived on produce, on clothing or was carried there naturally by wind.

TPP trapping Noting the seriousness of this pest and its multi-million dollar impact upon the vegetable and potato industries, it is incumbent for everyone to be especially vigilant for any sign of an unusual insect in crops.

Adult TPP is black with a white stripe on its back. It resembles a small winged cicada and is about three millimetres long. The adult psyllids are relatively easy to identify once caught, although catching them usually requires sticky traps as the adults fly a short distance as soon as foliage is disturbed.

Sticky traps can be purchased from outlets such as Bunnings or other nurseries. They should be erected about 30cm above the crop and checked regularly — at least weekly — and if anything unusual is spotted, contact the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline (1800 084 881) and seek advice immediately.

MORE INFORMATION For more information, contact AUSVEG on (03) 9882 0277 or email info@ausveg.com.au

This communication has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the research and development National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

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IT is important to be aware of the signs of major pests such as leaf damage caused by vegetable leafminer.

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Developing an on-farm

biosecurity plan 2. Conduct a gap analysis DR JESSICA LYE AUSVEG

The recent incursion of tomatopotato psyllid in Western Australia and the continued infestation of vegetable leafminer at Cape York Peninsula — both priority exotic pests for the vegetable industry — has highlighted the importance of allocating time towards farm biosecurity planning.

Following plan development:

• Identify measures for implementation or improvement.

• Ensure farm employees are familiar with the plan.

• Prioritise measures based on risk assessment outcomes.

• Implement policies and infrastructure to support the plan.

• Tool: Checklist (see Table 1).

• Review and update the plan on an annual basis.

3. Develop a risk management plan • Populate a plan template.

• Consider scope, time and budget.

• Integrate measures into farm management plan.

• Tool: Biosecurity plan template.

Routine checking of crops is an important aspect of maintaining crop health and gives you the best chance of identifying a new pest before it becomes established.

It is important to be aware of major pests, diseases and weeds in your region and especially those that are often found on your property.

TABLE 1 Biosecurity checklist Biosecurity practice

Yes

No

Wash down facilities are provided on site for machinery, equipment and vehicles

n n n n n n n n n

n n n n n n n n n

n n n n

n n n n

AUSVEG National Manager — Science and Extension Dr Jessica Lye explains.

Clean down facilities are located near farm entrances and away from growing areas

While biosecurity practices reduce the likelihood of the introduction and spread of new pests on your farm, they can also reduce the impact of endemic pests, such as various wilts and viruses.

Only on-site vehicles are used to transport equipment and visitors around the farm

Most farm biosecurity plans contain several common practices. However, it is also important to undertake an assessment of your farm and its risks to determine the priority areas that require immediate attention.

Tools that will aid in the effective development of a Farm Biosecurity Plan are risk matrices, checklists and risk management plan templates, all of which can be obtained from AUSVEG. A procedure for developing a full Farm Biosecurity Plan is outlined.

1. Conduct a risk assessment • Identify risks.

• Assess likelihood and impact.

Visitor vehicle access is restricted to designated parking areas Vehicle movement is kept to a minimum in growing areas Designated tracks are used to limit vehicle movement on growing areas Machinery and vehicles are cleaned before moving off the property Footbaths and brushes are easily accessible and used Visitor clothing, footwear and tools are checked for soil and organic matter before entering the farm Staff are trained in biosecurity and farm hygiene practices Visitors are inducted in biosecurity expectations prior to moving around the farm Visitors sign a register to monitor on-farm movements Appropriate hygiene supplies are available to staff and visitors (hand sanitiser, gloves, foot baths, overalls) Contractor entry is conditional to a biosecurity induction and hygiene protocols Gate signs requesting phone check in and providing owner/manager contact numbers are visible at main entrances

n n n n

Farm is divided into ‘zones’ with restricted or minimised people, machinery and equipment movement between zones

n n

Planting material for all crops grown are sourced from reputable suppliers

n n n n n n n

Imported seed has been tested as per BICON conditions Symptom monitoring is regularly conducted in crops Staff are trained to recognise symptoms of disease infection

• Prioritise risks.

Activities and results of pest monitoring are recorded, including lack of observations

• Tool: Risk matrix.

A farm management plan is maintained for endemic pests Pallets are clean of organic material and soil

n n n n n n n

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Common biosecurity or ‘farm hygiene’ practices • Farm gate biosecurity signage sends a strong message to visitors that you expect them to abide by biosecurity procedures in place. Signage becomes especially important when growing areas are located in peri-urban spaces where traffic may enter the farm more often. A major reason for installing farm biosecurity signage is to make sure that visitors do not inadvertently access growing areas.

• Ancillary signage may be used to give clear directions to visitor parking, direct visitors to the property office where they can sign a visitor register and undergo a farm induction, indicate when visitors are entering restricted areas, direct visitors to foot washes, and show the location of vehicle or machinery clean-down facilities.

It is important that the biosecurity messages in front gate signs are reinforced by these additional on-farm biosecurity measures.

• Biosecurity induction sessions are especially important when hosting school groups, tourist groups or when there is regular staff change over.

Induction sessions should outline biosecurity measures on-farm, using your farm biosecurity action plan as a guide, and emphasise the risks posed by pests to commercial growers.

• Importantly, ensure visitor, contractor and farm worker footwear and clothing is free from soil and plant material before they enter or leave your farm. Where necessary, provide scrubbing brushes, footbaths, boot covers and protective clothing to prevent the dispersal of foreign soil and plant material.

• A clean-down facility is an area where growers, farm workers, extension officers and contractors can clean and disinfect all vehicles and machinery entering or leaving growing areas.

Regular use of the facility will go a long way towards reducing the chance of introducing pests to a property and spreading pests to other regions.

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INE HOTL T S T PE PLAN

1 8 8 4 8 0 0 0 18

IC EXOT

FARM gate biosecurity signage sends a strong message to visitors that you expect them to abide by biosecurity procedures in place.

• Dividing growing regions into zones allows greater access control to growing sites and minimises the risks of pest and disease introduction or spread. Regularly inspecting and maintaining boundary fences and managing feral animal and weed populations are also part of good biosecurity practices.

• Regular surveillance of growing areas, neighbouring vegetation, wash down areas and water sources will give you the best chance of identifying a new pest before it becomes established. It is important that farm staff are aware of what pests to look for when carrying out these inspections and that records of all surveillance are well organised.

These records can be important for retaining market access.

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During routine monitoring, record the date and all observations such as pests identified, growing area affected, the level of infestation and proposed treatment plans. If no detections of pests are made, this observation should also be recorded.

To obtain a Farm Biosecurity Plan Work Booklet (a step-by-step educational guide for developing a plan) and an AUSVEG Farm Biosecurity Planner, which includes an extended checklist and additional information about biosecurity practices and biosecurity risks, please contact AUSVEG.

A list of exotic pests that may impact vegetable growers can be found in the Vegetable Industry Biosecurity Plan at ausveg.com. au/biosecurity.

Further resources for improving your biosecurity practices can be found on the AUSVEG website ausveg.com. au or the farm biosecurity website at farmbiosecurity.com.au.

In the meantime, complete the biosecurity checklist (Table 1) to identify some areas where biosecurity practices are required on your farm. As well as aiding in the planning process, you may use this checklist to benchmark your farm against future assessments.

Any unusual plant pest should be reported immediately to the relevant state or territory agriculture agency through the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline (1800 084 881).

MORE INFORMATION For further information, contact AUSVEG National Manager — Science and Extension Dr Jessica Lye at jessica.lye@ausveg.com.au or (03) 9882 0277.

REGULARLY inspect and repair boundary fences.

The Vegetable and Potato Biosecurity Program is funded by the Plant Health Levy.

This communication has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the national vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

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What is a cover crop worth?

Cover crops in Australian vegetable systems This article outlines the economic considerations when using cover crops in vegetable production systems. It is based on lessons learned from several Soil Wealth — ICP demonstration sites, during the period 2014 to 2016.

Key messages: • You have to be clear about the purpose of using cover crops in your system; it influences the way you may judge costs and benefits and the timing of these.

• Overall benefits depend on each situation including previous crop, crop sequence, soil condition, soil fertility, fertiliser management, disease pressure, yield and packout; they can also vary over time. Therefore, you need to consider the costs and benefits for your own farm in the short and long term.

• To figure out what works for you on your farm and a specific purpose, talk to others who have used cover crops for a similar purpose/situation; trial cover crops or include a test strip if possible.

• In the short-term cover crops can be profitable. The economic benefits from potential increased marketable yield will depend on market specs and prices, and how your produce is priced e.g. per kg or per item. If crop quality and packout are improved, you may save on post-harvest and handling costs.

• Consider the longer-term benefits such as improved soil health, better water and nutrient holding capacity, less disease pressure and reduced erosion which are more difficult to quantify — but are important.

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• Improved soil condition and resilience will reduce risks such as impacts of drought, floods and pests and diseases or nutrient imbalances.

Water infiltration, drainage and holding capacity will be better in a well- structured soil compared to a compacted one. This will mean that you can access paddocks more quickly after a heavy rainfall without causing damage to the soil and/or beds.

• A well-structured soil will require less tillage. This can mean less passes are required or smaller sized tractors can be utilised because less power/draft is required due to reduced soil resistance.

• Monitor soil nitrogen (N) to determine if nitrogen inputs need to be adjusted. Following legume cover crops, N fertiliser rates may need to be decreased. N benefits for the next cash crop will depend on the cover crop species, conditions (soil temperature, moisture), and timing relative to crop N demand of the next crop. Some crop residues can tie up soil N as they decompose. Therefore, N dynamics need to be considered when selecting cover crops and managing crop nutrition so that you can realise the full economic benefits of the cover crop.

• Cover crops can be used as a non-host plant for soil-borne diseases. Cover crops can also increase soil microbial activity and diversity, which helps to suppress soilborne diseases in cash crops. Under high disease pressure, cover crops will not provide short-term disease suppression – but can provide preventive and longer-term benefits.

• Biofumigation is the use of specialised cover crops, which are grown, mulched and incorporated into the soil prior to cropping. High biomass, especially roots, can provide the traditional benefits of green manure crops, and if done right, naturally occurring compounds from the biofumigant plants can suppress soil-borne pests, diseases and weeds. Refer to the resources on the SW-ICP website (www.soilwealth.com.au) for more information about biofumigants.

“Practices like cover cropping, using compost and using reduced tillage can increase or maintain soil organic matter. This builds long term resilience. In the long term you can’t add that out of a bag. There is no substitute for long term resilience.”

Marc Hinderager, Agronomist.

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Cover crop benefits Benefits of cover crops can include: • Improved soil health, which in turn provides improved water storage and infiltration capacity

COVER crops, such as ryegrass, is effective for building soil structure.

• Selecting the right cover crop for the situation and purpose, will maximise the economic benefits e.g. ryegrass is effective for building soil structure; biofumigants can be effective for suppressing weeds and diseases.

• Consider how to transition from the cover crop to the cash crop.

Consider when it will need to be macerated, sprayed off or mulched and how you will manage residues.

Your machinery may need to be adjusted to plant through trash.

• Consider any risks (e.g. which cover crop species could host pests and diseases).

• The nature and extent of economic benefits will vary depending on what the most important reasons to use a cover crop are on your farm — and how that is matched with the cover crop species selected as well as its management.

There is usually an economic benefit in the short term, but the full economic benefits of cover cropping can take several seasons.

• Improved soil structure which can reduce tillage costs (through reduced number of passes required or reduced power required for tillage) • Reduced soil erosion • Improved nutrient cycling (nutrients captured for use by the next crop) especially nitrogen (and therefore potential decrease in fertiliser inputs) • Suppression of weeds, pests and diseases (and therefore reduced chemical input costs — so long as you adjust your chemical inputs) • Increase in quality/pack-out percentage • Yield increase (potentially; not always).

Disadvantages of using cover crops, especially in the trial phase can include: • Insect or slug pressure

FIGURE 1 Forcett demo site — mulching and spraying early enough to allow sufficient time for the cover crop to break down before preparing beds for the following cash crop.

TOP, mulching a cover crop; ABOVE, cover crop breaking down.

TIP: Consider timing of cover crops, how to transition to cash crop and how to deal with stubble. One option, if it fits the cropping schedule, can be to spray the cover crop off early and allow it to decompose without the need for cultivation.

• Clubroot if brassica cover crops are used in brassica production • Not being able to get rid of the cover crop in time for planting due to weather • The need for new machinery or adjustments • Additional costs for cover crop including: seed, sowing, inputs (irrigation, fertiliser), termination of the cover crop, extra time for management • Opportunity cost (decreased income if it replaces a cash crop) • Risk that there is a decrease in marketable yield or quality.

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What have we learnt from the SW-ICP demo sites?

Table 1 shows some of the main benefits and costs of cover crops. As mentioned above, the overall benefits depend on each situation.

The benefits and costs at one site does not necessarily show what is achievable at other sites.

Manjimup, Western Australia Benefits observed at Manjimup were as follows. Weed control: • CalienteTM gave good control of the brassica weeds, particularly wild radish • It did not work very well to suppress other weeds such as doublegee and clover after incorporation • There was a weed suppression affect from the very dense canopy of the CalienteTM while it was growing, which helps to smother out weeds.

Improved soil condition, reduced erosion and improved water infiltration: • The CalienteTM held the soil together and helped to prevent wash aways when heavy rainfall occurred • Rainfall tends to infiltrate more easily into the soil, rather than running off the top of the soil • The CalienteTM has opened up the ground and made the soil more friable • The soil is easier to work when preparing for planting crops • Less tractor passes are required when preparing the ground for cropping after growing CalienteTM. At Manjimup a biofumigant cover crop was grown mainly for disease suppression. However, the grower noticed other benefits of reduced requirement for tillage and reduced erosion in heavy rainfall.

TABLE 1 Potential benefits and costs of using cover crops Potential benefits/ advantages

Potential costs/ disadvantages

Soil condition, resilience, risk management

Y

-

Yield

Y

Y

• There can be yield benefits but not always • Select the right cover crop for the situation and manage it well

• Gross and marketable yield

Quality (packout, shelf life, post- harvest costs)

Y

Y

• If quality is increased there can be increased income and/or decreased postharvest handling costs

• Post-harvest costs including labour by crop/paddock • % packout or grading data

Pest, disease and weed management costs

Y

Y

• Monitor pests and diseases • Consider an integrated crop protection approach • Adjust inputs if required • Consider biofumigant cover crops

• Pest, disease and weed pressure • Costs of management

Tillage costs (for cash crop)

Y

-

• Consider if‘ softer’ tillage equipment can be used, or less passes or smaller tractors

• Number of passes and type of equipment

Nutrients (for cash crop)

Y

Y

• Adjust fertiliser inputs especially consider N fertiliser

• Monitor soil fertility especially N • Amount of fertiliser used

Water holding capacity (for cash crop)

Y

-

• Adjust irrigation scheduling

• Monitor soil moisture

Opportunity costs (if cover crop replaces cash crop)

-

Y

• Consider which cover crops fit your cropping schedule and rotation • Consider frequency of cover crops e.g. annually or every 2–3 years • Consider any trends in cash crop marketable yield, quality, inputs, and returns

• Long-term records of cash crop marketable yields, quality and inputs

Cost of cover crop management

-

Y

• Talk to others who have used cover crops for a similar situation

• Record cover crop costs including termination costs

Source: Soilwealth Project

24

FIGURE 2 Lettuce from control (top) and following CalienteTM (middle). Lettuce yield and quality was substantially better, following CalienteTM. CalienteTM improved soil structure (bottom)

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Changes required and things to consider

What data (or estimates) to keep for each paddock and crop • Soil condition scores, observations, photographs

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TABLE 2 Seed cost and characteristic of some common cover crops. Cultivation, irrigation and fertiliser requirements are unique to each scenario so these costs are not considered here Tillage radish™ (Daikon radish)

RootMax™ (Lolium rigidum)

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

Rye corn (Secale cereale)

Morgan field peas (Pisum sativum)

Caliente 199™ (Brassica juncea)

Cost of seed ($/ha)

$50–$70

$65

$100–$130

$144

$140–$150

$210–$250

Fertiliser required

Not essential

Not essential

Recommended

Not essential

Not essential

Recommended

2 passes

2 passes

2 passes

2 passes

2 passes

2 passes

44

444

444

444

44

44

Cultivation Builds organic matter Reduces erosion Recovers nutrients Fixes nitrogen Biofumigant Soil Compaction Broadleaf weed control Grass weed control Specialised equipment?

44

444

444

444

444

444

444

444

44

44

4

444

7

7

7

7

444

7

4

7

7

7

7

444

444

44

44

44

44

44

44

444

444

444

4

44

444

4

44

4

444

444

7

7

7

7

7

4

Source: Soilwealth Project

The cost of cover crops Each cover crop has its own set of unique benefits and costs. Table 2 shows the expected seed cost of a range of common cover crops.

Most cover crops will require some cultivation and irrigation, and a soil test will determine if fertiliser is required.

In fact, deep rooted cover crops can recover nutrients from deep within your soil, recycling your lost fertiliser. A pricier option such as Caliente 199TM should be treated with more care to reap the full benefits of the cover crop. Finally, you must also consider the opportunity cost of planting a cash crop, which is the profit of selling a cash crop instead of growing a cover crop, however, your soil needs a break sometime and a cover crop is healthier than bare fallow.

MORE INFORMATION Contact Dr Doris Blaesing (RMCG) on mobile 0438 546 487, email dorisb@rmcg.com.au or go to www.rmcg.com.au

The economic loss of bare fallow is represented by the loss of organic matter to the atmosphere and the erosion of topsoil. This could be calculated by the cost of compost required to replace lost organic matter, or the topsoil required to compensate for erosion. Planting any variation of ground cover will slow or even reverse the loss of organic matter and control the erosion of bare fallow. However, the cost of irrigation should be also considered.

This project has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the vegetable levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation), Applied Horticultural Research Pty Ltd (AHR) and RM Consulting Group (RMCG) make no representations and expressly disclaims all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in this fact sheet. Users of this material should take independent action before relying on it’s accuracy in any way.

Reliance on any information provided by Hort Innovation, AHR or RMCG is entirely at your own risk. Hort Innovation, AHR or RMCG are not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim, expense, cost (including legal costs) or other liability arising in any way (including from Hort Innovation, AHR, RMCG or any other person’s negligence or otherwise) from your use or non-use of information from projects: VG13076 Soil condition management — Extension and capacity building; VG13078 Extension of Integrated Crop Protection or from reliance on information contained in this material or that Hort Innovation, AHR or RMCG provides to you by any other means.

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ADVERTORIAL

Agrimaster

Getting the most out of your farm is as much about planning as it is about farming. Agrimaster, a software program that has been written by farmers for farmers — easily handles your day to day accounts and cash book; but more importantly helps you plan ahead; creating budgets from the data to explore the ‘what if’ options and even intelligently interfaces with your bank.

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Agrimaster equips you with the tools and processes necessary in these volatile times we live in, to allow you to make informed decisions for your Agribusiness Enterprise.

Agrimaster is a fantastic program for the Agricultural Industry, and if used right you can get very effective reports for your business.

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I specialise in accounting and bookkeeping services, budgeting, cashflow and business consultancy specialising in the Agricultural industry.

I also run an orchard in Manjimup, Western Australia and I have configured Agrimaster to suit my orchard and vegetable growing needs.

Agrimaster allows me to easily track how my business is going and produces detailed reports giving me the confidence to make cost effective decisions about the future of my business, while the Enterprise report lets me track the profitably on a farm or variety.

The budgeting component of Agrimaster is brilliant, it is thorough, detailed and gives me all the information I need to run my business smoothly, they are even accepted by most leading banks in Agribusiness.

In my experience from training Agrimaster clients, they love the ease-of-use and the level of detail of the program.

MORE INFORMATION For more information please go to www.agrimaster.com.au or ring 1800 110 000 or email support@agrimaster.com.au

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FarMate Farm data app helping growers

BY REBECCA BLACKMAN FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

FarMate is a unique service provider of consolidated customised information for primary producers and affiliated supporting industries, drawing on significant primary produce markets expertise, experience and knowledge of its management team and using exclusively licensed third party software.

The app serves to provide innovative online technological solutions to manage and mitigate production input risks (price, weather, chemicals, freight, etc.) and to optimise prices received for produce. FarMate provides automated market-based mechanisms to: • Primary produce growers to assist in improving on farm efficiencies, reduce the costs associated with managing and trading • Merchants and buying agents to easily source independent produce markets information from local and interstate markets on which to make their trading decisions.

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THE use of the smart phone app provides growers with the connectivity to time critical information, allowing more informed decision making.

Currently critical information such as weather alerts, price and market conditions (drought, floods, disasters) that on impact on production costs and the management of crops is delivered via multiple service providers through multiple media platforms and on mass.

Often critical information regarding weather, price and or disasters affecting primary producers’ local area and that of their competitors’ areas is often missed by primary producers who may not have the capacity and or access to all of this information on a daily basis through the multiple information channels. The onus is currently with the primary producer to source this information daily often through manual and time consuming methods.

FarMate comprises of a group of young farmers from South Australia. As second generation farmers they have grown up within the farming community and have dealt with many downfalls within the industry. FarMate was created on the basis of what they, as farmers felt would benefit them to help succeed in their own farming business.

Given the amount of time growers spend in the field, having data directed to their smart phone is a useful format for agricultural workers. Data such as weather information and market prices is crucial for farmers to remain profitable in a competitive and sometimes difficult market.

Additional information to be supplied, such as extension information, also provides growers with the ability to better manage crops and stock.

The use of the smart phone app provides them with the connectivity to time critical information, allowing more informed decision making.

The app is available for both iPhone and Android phones.

MORE INFORMATION For more information see the website: www.farmate.com.au

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Robotic capsicum harvesters in development

BY REBECCA BLACKMAN FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

Harvey the Robotic Capsicum (Sweet Pepper) Harvester is a project between Queensland University of Technology and Queensland Government.

Harvey may still be a bit slow, but he is reliable, works day and night and doesn’t need a meal break.

Harvey is a robot, created to find a solution for farmers who struggle to find reliable farm labourers. Field trials at Redland Research station and in Rockhampton over the past two years have brought the 200kg, two-meter high robotic harvester to the point where he can pick a capsicum in 20 seconds.

The work is part of a QUT research project involving a team of 10 people from senior academia, research fellows, engineers and those with PhDs. Robotics research fellow Dr Chris Lehnert said the trial had been funded by the Queensland Government to date and the project was currently needing further investment.

“We’ve found the Redlands very convenient. It’s close to home and we can bring Hervey back and forth. He’s the same size as a normal human, but on wheels,” he said.

“His job is to pick capsicum. A video scans the capsicum, then he attaches the harvesting tool and cuts at the peduncle, removing the fruit and putting it into a tray. His picking speed is 20 seconds and we would like to see that get to 10 seconds to make it economical. We are on the right track,” Dr Lehnert said.

Dr Lehnert said a person averaged three to five seconds to perform the same function but a robot was more reliable and a better risk.

Although Harvey is designed to pick capsicums, Dr Lehnert said he could also be adapted to pick tomatoes, strawberries, avocados and mangos.

“The concept is the same. But we picked capsicum because Queensland provides about 80% of the Australian crop,” he said.

HARVEY is designed to pick capsicums but could be adapted to pick tomatoes, strawberries, avocados and mangos.

“The farmers are telling us they can’t find labourers. It’s too hot and the work is too intensive. The labourers are being lost to the cities. They’d rather wash dishes than pick fruit, bending over in the sun. If a labourer doesn’t come to work, the farmers can lose the crop,” he said.

In designing the robot, Dr Lehnert said the team went out to the field to see what challenged the farmers.

“Labour is one-third of the cost of production. I am very proud of this research. It is very rewarding to have the potential to bring to Queensland farmers something that is useful. This sort of useful technology excites me, looking forward,” he said.

MORE INFORMATION More info about the project can be found on https://research.qut.edu.au/digitalagriculture/.

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Edible ink

offers new label solution

BY GABRIELLE EASTER PRODUCE PLUS

Digital Ink Technologies has launched its edible UV invisible ink for use on fresh produce The disappointment of cutting into a good-looking piece of fruit only to find it rotten inside could soon be a thing of the past.

Michael Mahoney, managing director of Melbourne-based Digital Ink Technologies, told Produce Plus that its Polytrust edible ink — a low cost inkjet technology developed by the Melbournebased company — could be the answer.

“Polytrust edible UV invisible and visible inks offer new options never thought possible. Now, growers or wholesalers can print with HACCP-certified edible inks that can either be invisible or visible to the consumer,” he explained.

This means growers or packers can label each piece of fruit with a ‘best before’ or ‘picked on’ dates.

“The question my family constantly asks is ‘how old is this fruit?’ In Australia, apples can face months of storage, bananas three days of truck travel, and stonefruit must withstand the consumers’ squeezing hands,” Mahoney said.

“Behind the facade of the supermarket fresh food section are many tricks of the trade that supermarkets often say are done in the consumer’s name. Now, there’s a way that wholesalers, growers and retailers can really check to see if the fruit they have is fresh before it gets to the consumer.”

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Date stamp

your produce!

The ink and Polymer thermal inkjet technology, sold under the brand Polytij, was showcased at the Auspack trade event in Sydney in February, with Digital Ink Technologies using the event to show first-hand how difficult it can be to tell how fresh a piece of fruit is. Digital Technologies had a bucket of apples, all printed with ‘picked dates’ using invisible ink, and had visitors attempt to pick the freshest apple.

“The interest in the technology was high, with genuine interest from the industry,” Mahoney said.

“What is clear from the growers that we have spoken to is that they need identification and marketing tools to help them sell more of their produce.”

Mahoney sees the combination of biodegradable barcode stickers and Polytrust edible UV invisible and visible inks as being able to offer growers and retailers the ability to provide the consumer with information about the fruit’s freshness, provenance and nutrition.

POLYTRUST edible UV invisible and visible inks offer new options never thought possible.

“A key element of our identification solution is the low cost of our technology. The Polytij HP thermal printers capital cost is up to 75% lower than other technologies such as Continuous Inkjet.

“The cost per code printing a ‘Best Before’ date or even a logo is less than 10 cents per thousands codes.”

MORE INFORMATION This article was originally published in the winter edition of Produce Plus, available now.

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State Horticulture Forum

explores opportunities for growth

BY KIRRILY PALMER DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FOOD WA

Department Irrigated Agriculture Executive Director, John Ruprecht, said the analysis provided key insights for industries to achieve more viable international pathways.

Western Australia’s inaugural State Horticulture Update attracted a strong crowd, keen to hear about the latest issues, case studies and expertise in this growing industry.

“There are some interesting lessons to be learnt from peer regions that have transformed relevant industry sectors over a relatively short period,” Mr Ruprecht said.

The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) hosted the event, to explore strategies and information to assist WA horticulture businesses to become internationally competitive.

The gathering was privileged to hear from new Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan, who acknowledged the value in investing in the industry to capitalise on new market opportunities and generating regional jobs.

A highlight of the day was a presentation on the Coriolis consultancy’s Pathways to competitiveness report by director Tim Morris.

The report was commissioned by the department, as part of its Agricultural Sciences project, funded by Royalties for Regions to identify opportunities, constraints and drivers for growth and investment that characterise successful, internationally competitive agribusinesses.

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“Agrifood growth in Peru, the dairy industry in New Mexico and pork industry growth in Chile all provide strong examples of transformation and global competitiveness.

“Members of the State’s potato and citrus industries, which have been assessed and benchmarked against peer regions that are achieving international success, will find this report interesting.”

For example, Western Australia has low potato production per operational unit relative to South Australia (see Figure 1).

Mr Ruprecht told the Update the department was committed to assisting the horticulture industry to double its value by 2025.

“Our role is to grow and protect WA’s agrifood sector, working in close partnership with the agrifood sector to achieve this,” he said.

3,968

4,000 3.6x

Tonnes/operational unit

More than 120 people attended the Update in Perth held in April, drawing supply chain participants from throughout the State.

NEW Western Australian Agriculture and Food Minister, Alannah MacTiernan (centre), with Maureen Dobra, Loose Leaf Lettuce Company (left) and Sue Middleton, Moora Citrus, sample some fine local mangoes at the inaugural State Horticulture Update.

3,000

2,000

1,000

813

979

1,009

QLD

TAS

NSW State

1,095

1,216

0

WA

VIC

SA

FIGURE 1 Average tonnes of potatoes produced per agricultural enterprise by Australian state in 2015 Source: ABS (7121.0); Coriolis analysis and estimates

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WA’s horticulture production value

$702m In the past 12 months: Fruit exports have increased

23%

Vegetable exports have increased

17%

Several department officers also updated the forum on a major emergency response to the discovery of the exotic pest tomato potato psyllid, which is a serious pest to vegetable production, and its impact on market access.

“As an economic development agency, underpinned by science, innovation and commercial awareness, we are well placed to deliver on government’s priority to grow the sector’s contribution to the State economy and protect its enviable biosecurity reputation and competitive advantage.”

The department has been supporting the development of irrigation developments in the State’s north by identifying suitable available water and land, to ground truth resources for potential investors.

“Royalties for Regions projects have identified more than 60,000 hectares of suitable land for irrigation in the La Grange are in the West Kimberley, while more than 10,000ha of land at Cockatoo Sands in the East Kimberley are capable of delivering new industries,” Mr Ruprecht said.

“More than 400 hectares of new land near Carnarvon has been confirmed for expansion as part of the Gascoyne Food Bowl initiative, while the department has also identified growth zones at Myalup, where there is potential for significant expansion in irrigated agriculture.”

The department is also working on the Department of Water’s (DoW) Water for Food Royalties for Regions projects in the West Midlands, Southern Forest, Preston and Collie-Wellington areas to explore potential for increasing irrigation development.

vegetablesWA Market Development Manager, Claire McClelland, provided great insight into WA horticulture’s key export market and opportunities.

Another feature of the Update was an overview of the development of a marketing campaign for the Bravo™ apple and insights by local business leaders on business growth, export approach and the challenges of taking businesses to the next stage.

WA’s horticulture industry has a production value of $702 million (2014–15), with exports worth $158 million.

In the past 12 months fruit exports have increased by 23%, while vegetable exports have increased by 17%.

Mr Ruprecht said the industry’s value added contribution to the economy is significant, amounting to about $1.6 billion.

“While horticulture represents less than 10% of the gross value of agricultural production, it accounts for more than 25% of employment at a farm level,” Mr Ruprecht said.

CLAIRE McClelland presenting at State Horticulture Update.

The State Horticulture Update also featured success stories from Sue Middleton from Moora Citrus, Maureen Dobra from the Loose Leaf Lettuce company, while the Western Citrus Alliance the Pomewest provided insights in the current market constraints and opportunities.

MORE INFORMATION For more information about DAFWA’s work in irrigated agriculture visit agric.wa.gov.au and click on the ‘crops’ tab.

To view videos and download presentations from the State Horticulture update please visit www.agric.wa.gov.au/horticulture/statehorticulture-update

“In terms of value adding the value of horticulture increases on average 3.3 times from farm to consumer, with wine the biggest contributor.”

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New technology deployed in the war against weeds

BY PETER HORGAN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FOOD WA

New incursions of exotic weeds, and the continued propagation of established species, are providing government and primary producers with a range of new and ongoing control challenges.

Fortunately, many of these challenges are being met by rapid advances in technology, which are providing new and innovative solutions in the war against weeds.

The declared pest water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was recently detected in the Serpentine River. Water hyacinth is considered one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds because it can rapidly cover entire waterways, block irrigation channels, restrict livestock access to water, and significantly degrade water quality.

The initial response to the Serpentine incursion involved helicopter treatments of the infestation. After the initial treatments, the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) commissioned the use of unmanned drones for follow up surveys of the River.

The drones collected thousands of high resolution digital images along a 27km stretch of the Serpentine River. These images were provided to members from the local Serpentine-Jarrahdale Landcare Group who assisted with examining the images for evidence of water hyacinth.

About 16,000 images were examined, of these, 105 were identified as showing the presence of water hyacinth.

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AERIAL image of Serpentine River taken from a drone.

GPS data obtained from the digital images will be used to accurately map the distribution and density of current weed infestations in the River, which will significantly reduce the cost of future management initiatives.

The drone trials complement the MyWeedWatcher app, which was launched in 2016, to allow community members to assist in the surveillance and reporting of invasive weed species.

The MyWeedWatcher app was designed to allow anyone with a smartphone to join the biosecurity surveillance community. Home gardeners, horticulturalists, bushwalkers and farmers can use their smart devices to photograph a known or suspected invasive weed. The app then assists users to identify the weed, map its location, attach a photograph and submit a report to DAFWA.

DAFWA staff verify or identify the weed in each MyWeedWatcher report. Responses are provided directly to the reporter, and the presence of the weed is mapped online. In certain instances involving declared weeds (such as water hyacinth) a MyWeedWatcher report may result in DAFWA staff undertaking further investigations or control action.

Dr Tamrika Lanoiselet, who was involved in the drone trials and the launch of the MyWeedWatcher app said it was an exciting time for industry, community groups, and even home gardeners who are interested in biosecurity.

“We are constantly being met with new biosecurity challenges in Australia,” said Dr Lanoiselet “Rapid advances in technology are offering a broader range of solutions, and including a broader group of people in the preservation of Australia’s biosecurity status.”

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Declared pest Water Hyacinth is a free floating water plant that forms large dense mats on the water surface Leaves are smooth, hairless and glossy, generally bright green.

Sometimes leaves have a rusty yellow tinge on their edges.

WATER hyacinth is native to the Amazon basin in South America and was brought to Australia in the 1890s as an ornamental plant.

Flowers are 4–7cm across, light bluish-purple or dark blue with a yellow centre. There are six distinct petals on each flower. The upper petal is darker purple with a yellow mark in the centre. The flowers form on upright stems with between three and 35 flowers on each spike.

Visit: www.agric.wa.gov.au/declaredplants/water-hyacinth-declared-pest

MyWeedWatcher app The MyWeedWatcher app can be downloaded free from the iTunes App Store or for android devices from the Google play store. Alternatively, people without a mobile device can report declared weeds using the online tool available on the DAFWA website.

Visit www.agric.wa.gov.au/myweedwatcher-information

Drone trials The drone trials and the MyWeedWatcher app are part of the department’s Boosting Biosecurity Defences agricultural weed surveillance project which is made possible by Royalties for Regions.

Visit: www.agric.wa.gov.au/invasivespecies/boosting-biosecurity-defencesroyalties-regions

FIXED wing drone prepared for take-off.

MORE INFORMATION For more details please contact Department of Agriculture & Food WA on (08) 9368 3333.

Department of Agriculture and Food

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Reduction

BY REBECCA BLACKMAN FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

Center West Exports (CWE) based in Woodridge covers an area of 1000 acres of fixed and pivot irrigation for carrot production.

The founder of the company and now Managing Director, Frank Tedesco, has been in the vegetable industry all his life and has gained a reputation as a quality grower and combined with his passion for perfection, has made Center West Exports, the export side of the company, into a major exporting force.

WA’s horticulture production value

$702m

The company has, since its inception, been synonymous with a quality product.

Growing bigger is not the company’s focus; instead, providing a cost competitive, quality product for export to a range of world markets is the company driver.

At present the company exports to Asia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Middle East and the Maldives as well as supplying local and Eastern State markets.

The Soil Wealth & Integrated Crop Protection team have been working with the Tedesco’s to demonstrate the benefit of compost and other soil amendments in improving soil health and enhancing crop protection from diseases.

The partners at this demonstration site were C-Wise who are developing a custom compost product to suit the production system.

A large scale compost trial was conducted with Center West Exports and C-Wise in the Gingin area of WA from June 2016 to February 2017. Center West Exports provided a 10ha trial area under solid set irrigation.

The focus was on disease suppression, mainly cavity spot, and maintaining organic carbon and structure in intensively cropped, sandy soils. Fresh organic matter such as manure cannot be used in the Gingin area due to stable fly issues; food safety requirements also mean that fresh manure should not be used prior to a carrot crop. Any organic amendments had to be well composted; they also needed to be of a quality than can be repeatedly produced.

A large scale compost trial was conducted with Center West Exports and the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects in the Gingin area of WA.

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A

B

C

A: Humicarb @ 50m3/ha (19/09/2016).

B: Control (19/09/2016).

C: Inspecting for root damage in early growth stage.

C-Wise provided two types of compost — ‘Humicarb Compost’ and ‘Premium Compost’. These were both used at 30t/ha and 50t/ha in two replicates of 0.5ha each. Untreated control areas did not receive compost.

Data collection included: • Soil analyses before and after planting (nutrients, pathogen DNA by SARDI) • Pre-harvest assessment of roots against CWE grading criteria • Carrot root analysis (nutrients) • Commercial grading by CWE

The results can be summarised as follows: • Compost reduced Pythium and Rhizoctonia levels in the soil • Compost increased phosphorus availability in the soil • Compost had no effect on soil pH • Nitrogen (N) levels in carrot roots were lower in composted areas while levels of available N in the soil were higher • In composted areas, carrots had higher potassium levels, up to double that of the control.

The total concentration of nutrients in the carrot roots increase with increasing compost rates and compost quality. The nutritional differences may have resulted in taste and shelf life differences. This is something which still needs to be investigated.

Compost should have longer term benefits and we will look at these in the coming seasons.

MORE INFORMATION You can follow the progress of the demonstration site on the Facebook page, or find out more information www.soilwealth.com.au

• Field observations and photos.

The Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects are run jointly by Applied Horticultural Research and RMCG. The projects are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the vegetable industry levy and funds from the Australian Government.

The soilborne disease research undertaken on this site is part of VG15010 funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the vegetable industry levy and funds from the Australian Government.

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ADVERTORIAL

Protected Cropping Australia

The Apex-Brinkman Conference 2017 will be Protected Cropping Australia’s (PCA) 14th biennial event bringing 450+ industry people together over three and a half days on 9–12th July 2017.

Adelaide was selected as this year’s host city due to its accessibility of quality farm tours sites and the brand new first class venue. The Adelaide Convention Centre, West Wing. The state-of-art, hi-tech venue also prides itself on using local, fresh produce — which is our forte too!

The successful formula includes a large trade exhibition with 60+ booths open for two and a half days.

The conference provides industry education and excellent opportunities for networking and business between growers, their allied trade and interested parties.

Sunday afternoon is open to the general public to maximise exposure. Then two days of technical how-to speaker presentations followed by hydroponic greenhouse farm tours on the Wednesday, for registered delegates.

Networking is fostered in many ways and this year we launch a new feature with a central Hub space in the middle of the trade display which will be transformed into a busy Happy Hour Bar each afternoon.

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A perfect place to meet with industry peers, make new connections and reinforce relationships face-to-face.

PCA look forward to welcoming you to Adelaide in July 2017.

MORE INFORMATION For more information and registration head to the website www.protectedcroppingaustralia. com/?page_id=58 or contact Saskia Blanch on 0414 333 996

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Gascoyne Food Festival 10–19 August 2017

BY DORIANA MANGILI GASCOYNE FOOD COUNCIL

In its 9th year The 2017 Gascoyne Food Festival will be held in Sunny Carnarvon again this August.

The three day event begins on Thursday the 10th of August. Chefs, who become our Gascoyne Food Council envoys, tour Carnarvon food businesses — horticulture, meat and fishing. Meeting producers and sharing the passion for great local food this day is a meeting of minds as chefs and food producers showcase and discuss the unique qualities of our Gascoyne produce.

WHAT’S ON...

Every year the event grows in numbers and stature with the combination of passionate chefs and dedicated producers working together to deliver amazing dishes.

Thursday evening is a relaxed BBQ on the Beach held at the Carnarvon Yacht Club with guest chefs mingling with tourists and locals serving local food prepared under the watchful eye of WA Food Ambassador the iconic Don Hancey, watching the sun set over the picturesque Carnarvon waterfront.

The highlight of the Food Festival is the Long Table Lunch held on Friday the 11th of August at the beautiful Bentwaters Plantation.

A sumptuous lunch is served on the lawn underneath the leafy mango trees.

The courses highlighting the best food the Gascoyne has to offer prepared by Gourmet Island Escape Dirk Hartog Island 6–12 August, 2017

Long Table Lunch

Eco Lodge, Dirk Hartog Island Thursday 10 August, 2017

BBQ on the Beach

Carnarvon Yacht Club, Carnarvon Thursday 10 August, 2017

Gascoyne Long Table Lunch

Bentwaters Plantation, Carnarvon Friday 11 August, 2017

Gascoyne Growers Market

Carnarvon Civic Centre, Carnarvon Saturday 12 August, 2017

Surf and Turf on the Beach Dinner Manta Rays Resort, Exmouth Sunday 13 August, 2017

GascoyneFoodCouncil @gascoynefood

Mount Augustus Outback Dining Under the Stars Mount Augustus Saturday 19 August, 2017

the most innovative chefs in Western Australia. The event is attended by tourists, local farmers and businesses, industry representatives. This year the Food Council is delighted to host the Hon Allanah MacTiernan Minister for Regional Development and Agriculture at the event.

The celebration of Gascoyne food in Carnarvon continues on Saturday the 12th of August with free food tasting and sampling at the Gascoyne Growers Market, utilising local produce and goods sold at the markets that are held in the centre of town each Saturday between May and October.

A special 4WD adventure is planned for the week before the Carnarvon event at Dirk Hartog Island. There will be a special long table lunch held on Thursday 10th August at the Eco Lodge.

Heading North on Sunday the 13th of August a Surf and Turf on the Beach dinner is being held at the Exmouth Manta Rays resort on the edge of the water in the spectacular Exmouth Gulf.

The Food experience continues on the 19th of August with an outback experience. The incredible Mount Augustus is the backdrop to an outback dinner under the stars. An outback camping experience that is unlike anything else in the world.

MORE INFORMATION Be sure to contact the Carnarvon Visitors centre for tickets for Carnarvon events www.carnarvon.org.au or email events@ gascoynefood.com.au for more information on this fantastic opportunity to celebrate amazing Gascoyne Food under beautiful sunny skies in the North West.

The Gascoyne Food Festival is supported by the Western Australian Government Regional Events Scheme, the Gascoyne Development Commission, Royalties for Regions, Skippers Aviation and Elders Carnarvon.

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REBECCA Clarke of Raitech Ltd inspects cucurbit plants for aphids and virus symptoms.

Cucurbit virus disease

research for the Ord River Irrigation Area

BY ROGER JONES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FOOD WA

The need for more effective control of severe aphid-borne virus disease constitutes a critical research priority for cucurbit growers in Western Australia’s Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA).

The project Resolving the critical disease threats to the WA cucurbit industry from new and previous incursions of damaging cucurbit viruses is tackling this problem.

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This project is funded through the Boosting Biosecurity Defences Project's Research and Development (R&D) Fund made possible by Royalties for Regions. The Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA), Ord River Co-operative (ORDCO), Ceres Farm, Barradale Farm and Bothkamp Australia Farm are also providing financial and in-kind support.

The project depends on close collaboration between ORDCO, ORIA cucurbit growers and DAFWA staff based in Kununurra and Perth. Raitech Ltd from Kununurra is assisting with project activities.

Recent articles in the WA Grower Summer and Winter editions described: i) Progress made with field experiments undertaken in the ORIA targeting control of the virus responsible for the disease epidemics, Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), and its aphid vectors; and ii) Important information about where ZYMV and its aphid vectors survive outside the ORIA’s cucurbit growing season, and how they spread the virus to crops during the growing season.

Here, we discuss advances in knowledge achieved over the last six month period.

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In both the 2015 and 2016 ORIA growing seasons ZYMV infection was absent from early sown cucurbit crops. Its spread was first seen in later sown crops in June, which was half way through the growing season.

In the current (2017) growing season, a different scenario is unfolding in which ZYMV first appeared in some of the first sown melon and pumpkin crops as early as March.

What change of circumstances led to this different scenario?

Climatic conditions in the ORIA wet season were very different in 2016–17 compared to the previous two years. It was exceptionally rainy with very large and frequent rainfall occurring from December to March, whereas the preceding two wet seasons had been exceptionally dry (see Table 1).

The greater rainfall in the most recent wet season enabled the survival of large amounts of volunteer watermelons, honeydew melons and pumpkins on farms.

Also, weed cucurbit growth was very extensive, especially around rivers and irrigation channels, and on lighter soils where the paddocks were not underwater.

TABLE 1 Rainfall in 2016–17 compared with long term averages at the Kununurra Airport weather station Month

Rainfall 2016–17 (mm)

Long term average (mm)

December

249

142

January

592

210

February

300

216

Climate conditions affects

ZYMV

Aphid and ZYMV occurrence outside the growing season During the 2016–17 wet season, the project conducted aphid trapping using sticky traps. These traps were checked weekly by ORDCO agronomist Penny Goldsmith and the aphids trapped sent to DAFWA Perth for checking. Aphids were caught on these traps in much larger numbers than in the previous wet season.

Between December and March, the project also conducted a wet season survey for aphids and ZYMV surviving during the wet season. Leaf or shoot samples from wild and volunteer cucurbit species and other weedy plant species were collected.

This survey was conducted by Rebecca Clarke of Raitech Ltd who sent samples to Perth for aphid identification checks and virus testing.

A total of 172 composite samples from 569 plants and 56 aphid samples were sent to DAFWA, Perth for processing.

LEAF of sentinel plant showing ZYMV mosaic symptoms.

INSET: Melon aphids on a chilli plant in a Kununurra garden.

Aphids were present on plants throughout the wet season and consisted of the same six species found in the previous year’s wet season survey, the melon aphid, cowpea aphid, corn leaf aphid, rusty plum aphid, oleander aphid, and Schoutedenia ralumensis (no common name). They were much more abundant than in the previous wet season survey.

In contrast to the abundance of aphids in the wet season, ZYMV was only found occasionally. It was detected in a wild melon vine at Crossing Falls picnic reserve and in a volunteer watermelon in a vacant residential block in Kununurra.

BELOW: Wild melon vines at Crossing Falls picnic reserve, with (left) and without (right) ZYMV mosaic symptoms.

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ROCKMELON leaves with vein clearing, mosaic and leaf deformation (top right), watermelon leaf with mosaic (right).

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In addition, ZYMV was found in mid-February in a Kununurra garden in cucumber and pumpkin sentinel plants grown specifically to monitor for wet season ZYMV spread. This coincided with the appearance of melon aphids on the same plants.

The surprisingly low source of ZYMV infection found in volunteer and wild cucurbit plants resembles what transpired in the 2015–16 wet season survey.

In addition to the wet season survey, a targeted follow-up survey was undertaken in April 2017 to search for reservoirs of ZYMV infection close to areas identified in March as having early-infected ORIA cucurbit crops.

A total of 141 leaf or shoot samples were collected from wild and volunteer cucurbits and other weedy plant species.

These samples were tested by DAFWA in Perth. ZYMV was found in a volunteer watermelon plant growing in the abandoned garden of a vacant house, but not in samples from wild or volunteer cucurbits growing in areas surrounding paddocks where ZYMV-infected crops were present in the previous year.

Overall, despite the low virus incidence in reservoir plant hosts as in the previous wet season, the abundance of (i) volunteer and wild cucurbit plants and (ii) aphids found in the 2016–17 wet season seem responsible for the exceptionally early ZYMV spread by aphids from infected reservoir hosts to some ORIA cucurbit crops.

Varietal reactions Three ZYMV isolates, one each from diseased cucurbit plants in Kununurra, Carnarvon and Perth, were inoculated by rubbing infective sap onto young plants of seven honeydew melon, nine rockmelon and seven watermelon varieties growing under glasshouse conditions in Perth. The plants were observed for foliage symptoms over an eight week period and tested for ZYMV presence, but not kept long enough for fruit symptom observations.

The range of foliage disease symptom types that developed included initial leaf vein clearing, followed by mosaic, leaf deformation, reduction in leaf size, necrosis, early shedding of older leaves and plant stunting.

These symptoms varied in severity depending on the variety inoculated. Following initial infection, most watermelon varieties underwent an early shock phase in which severe foliage symptoms developed, but this was followed by a recovery phase in which symptoms were mild or infection was symptomless in newer growth. However, this recovery of young growth did not happen with rockmelon or honeydew melon plants.

So far, a range of varietal sensitivities to infection have been found within the different honeydew melon, rockmelon and watermelon varieties studied with some being affected more severely than others. All became infected so none were immune to infection.

Planting varieties that develops severe disease symptoms runs the risk of suffering greater fruit yield and quality reductions due to infection, than when symptoms are milder.

Field evaluations that include fruit yield and quality loss assessments and involve different varieties are yet to be undertaken.

However, based on glasshouse studies on foliage disease symptom severity none could be classed as having useful tolerance, i.e. ones developing very mild or symptomless infection. Consideration should be given to avoiding planting the most severely affected varieties in the ORIA. An unexpected finding was that virus symptoms that developed in the melon and watermelon varieties inoculated with the ZYMV isolates Kununurra, Carnarvon and Perth all caused symptoms of similar severity with each isolate-variety combination.

Possibly, the hotter growing conditions in the ORIA explain the greater severity of ZYMV symptoms found in cucurbit crops there than elsewhere in the state.

Preliminary findings with CGMMV Research commenced under Perth quarantine glasshouse conditions to obtain information on CGMMV survival and spread under WA conditions in plant sap, soil, plant debris, irrigation water, live roots and weeds, and to improve disinfection procedures. The results obtained so far are as follows: • Sap from CGMMV-infected cucurbit leaves was still infectious to healthy cucurbit plants after six months storage at room temperature. This confirms previous studies that found the virus to be very stable and able to remain infectious outside its host plants for a very long time.

• Young cucurbit seedlings became infected when they were transplanted into soil in which infected plants had previously been growing. This emphasises the danger of spreading the virus when there is no sterilisation of soil in glasshouses and when infested fields are reused soon after a CGMMV-infected crop is removed.

• Mixing sap from infected leaves with 5% bleach solution or resuspended dried skim milk powder and leaving the mixture for an hour, prevented CGMMV infection of cucurbit plants. Shorter incubations in milk and bleach solutions were not as effective in eliminating the virus. A range of other alternative chemicals are being evaluated to identify other disinfectants that cucurbit growers can deploy to help minimise its spread.

Summary The exceptionally rainy wet season in 2016–17 resulted in abundance of aphids and profuse growth of volunteer and wild cucurbit plants in the ORIA. Despite the levels of ZYMV infection found in the volunteer and wild cucurbit plants being low, this combination of exceptional reservoir host and aphid abundance was associated with exceptionally early arrival of ZYMV infection in growers cucurbit crops. Some common commercial rockmelon, honeydew melon and watermelon varieties developed more severe ZYMV disease than others and so run the higher risk of suffering greater fruit yield and quality reductions due to infection when they are planted.

In preliminary studies, bleach and skim milk powder proved effective CGMMV disinfectants, transplanting cucurbit seedlings into soil that had previously grown infected plants resulted in their becoming infected and the virus was still infectious after storage of infectious plant sap for at least six months.

MORE INFORMATION For more information, go to the DAFWA website agric.wa.gov.au/biosecurity/resolvingcritical-disease-threat-western-australiancucurbit-industry, or contact Dr Roger Jones at the Department of Agriculture and Food WA, Phone (08) 9368 3333.

Department of Agriculture and Food

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Smart

urban farm factories

BY JANINE HATCH PEEL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

The Peel Development Commission (PDC) is engaging Murdoch University through their Singapore Centre for Research in Innovation, Productivity and Technology (SCRIPT) to undertake a feasibility study for new forms of urban farming to grow the horticulture industry in the Peel region.

Can you imagine the near future when Peel grows leafy greens in half the production time using 60% energy consumption of conventional farming?

Pursuing investment in new forms of urban farming (including potential vertical farms, aquaponics, hydroponics, closed loop etc.) in the region will: • Stimulate investment in innovative agri-industry production techniques that insulate food production from the natural environment providing biosecurity safeguards, greater intensity, efficiency and increased yield; • Maximise water efficiency and reduce nutrient run-off;

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Photos courtesy of Singapore Centre for Research in Innovation, Productivity and Technology

In the context of the Transform Peel program, there will be more emphasis on innovative above-ground food production to address a number of regional issues including nutrient flow in the Peel-Harvey catchment area, sustainable water management, and high unemployment. In this context, new approaches in agriculture are required in the Peel.

• Sustain agricultural activities within an urbanising environment; and • Have the potential to export produce to meet global food demand.

Urban farming is not a well-developed sector in the Peel region (or WA more generally) and there is great benefit in undertaking this initial research for the Transform Peel program.

Given the higher infrastructure costs to develop this form of agriculture there is a need to identify higher value crops to ensure the longer term viability of this production system.

THE Transform Peel program will focus on innovative above-ground food production.

Working with Murdoch University on this initiative presents a number of additional benefits including the linkages to a global network of innovative horticultural companies through its research and development (R&D) arm in Singapore.

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This project builds on work SCRIPT has already undertaken given Singapore’s interest in food security and trialling and localising the Singaporean technology.

Working in collaboration with industry partners such as Sky Greens, Panasonic and others will help translate project outcomes into innovative business models, infrastructure requirements and technologies needed to meet Transform Peel objectives. Furthermore, having private sector involved in this research will strengthen industry networks and facilitate investment opportunities.

The project’s scope is to investigate the feasibility of a range of technological interventions that may potentially be introduced to the Peel, with the aim of developing a pilot project business case for scaling up farming solutions for both the local and export markets.

As well as undertaking stakeholder engagement in Singapore, the SCRIPT team is visiting Perth and Peel a number of times throughout the project to: • Verify the accuracy of data/information on WA food exports (e.g. volume, value, type of food), who the major trading partners are, and what the average export prices are; • Information regarding current supplychain (understanding the dynamics of the current processes from production to export/consumption e.g. export ports, cold storage, water sources, wholesale/retail dynamics); and • Nuanced information on water, soil, and energy options.

Information gathered during SCRIPT’s stakeholder engagement will assist the response to key questions posed for this study: • What technologies and alternate farming systems will be most relevant to the Peel region?

• What are the varieties of crops that can be produced in urban farms?

• What are issues that relate to pests and diseases, soil and water-related issues that should be considered? How can these potentially be overcome?

• Price factors: cost of inputs, crop yield, existing market prices for output, global and regional prices, how competitive might the export market for urban farm products be given low farm labour costs prevalent across the Asia Pacific region;

SCRIPT’S Dr Azad Bali and Associate Professor Peter Waring met with Sky Green’s CEO Jack Ng.

• Demand and other economic impacts: the evolving food preference of the consumer in relation to pricing affordability; • Supply chain opportunities within the region and into Asia for Peel as a supplier of farm technology and produce; and • Infrastructure requirements (e.g. land tenure, transport, logistics, value-add processing).

Associate Professor Dr Christopher Vas is the project lead from SCRIPT. Chris joins Murdoch University from the Australian National University. He is the Director of Murdoch University’s first offshore R&D centre SCRIPT and was Commissioner and Executive Director of the Second Murdoch Commission on Food Security, Trade and Partnerships: Towards Resilient Regional Food Systems in Asia.

The PDC and DAFWA were pleased to invite Chris as the guest speaker at the Harnessing Food Trends and Agri-Innovation for Profit Breakfast Event held at Mandurah Quay Resort in March.

While in the Peel, the PDC joined Dr Vas in a number of stakeholder meetings with local government, State Government and the existing growers and food producers in the region. The feasibility study is expected to be finalised mid-2017. SCRIPT will then continue to work with the PDC and State Government to engage with international industry players on investment options.

MORE INFORMATION Would you like to be a part of this project?

Please speak to Janine Hatch at the Peel Development Commission on (08) 9535 4140 or email janine.hatch@peel.wa.gov.au This article was originally published in the Peel Development Commission magazine, Peel. © Peel Development Commission

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Water Minister Dave Kelly

talks water security “Since 2013 I served as Shadow Water Minister and the most glaringly obvious issue for me was, and still is, the continued decline in average annual rainfall in the south west of the State, coupled with the increased demand for water in the home, the community and the industrial and agricultural sectors.

MINISTER Dave Kelly and Mike Rowe.

“We recognise the need for a long-term water supply strategy that provides security for water users, particularly in areas where climate change is impacting water availability,” Water Minister Dave Kelly says about the government’s approach to water security.

“Climate change and increasing demand for water are the two biggest forces that we need to respond to if we are to make sure there is sufficient water for existing and future needs.

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“Statistics show climate change over the past twenty years has translated into a loss of a quarter of our annual average rainfall in the South West, where our water resources are replenished, particularly in the winter months.

“The impact of this rainfall decline has put significant strain on available water resources.

“The science tells us that rainfall recharge to the shallow groundwater aquifers in urban areas including Perth, Kwinana, Mandurah, Greater Bunbury and Busselton will further decrease.

“Providing water security for food production is important for our economy and our community health and wellbeing.

“The challenges and opportunities represented by the State’s growing population, and in particular the additional 450,000 people mostly in the Perth metropolitan area since 2008, are not only for urban water but for fresh food and vegetable production in and around our cities and towns.

“I am aware that the horticultural industry has been working with the departments of Water, Agriculture and Food and Regional Development to achieve reliable and productive water supplies.

“Horticulture in Western Australia is a valued industry, and one that relies on secure licensed entitlements provided by the State.

“I’ll be working closely with the agriculture portfolio to consider the future land and water needs for thriving and sustainable agricultural and horticultural industries.”

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PERTH’S horticultural precincts are faced with heavy competition for a resource that is significantly impacted by climate change.

Sustainable & productive horticulture

“Perth’s horticultural precincts, particularly those relying on the Gnangara groundwater system, are faced with heavy competition for a resource that is significantly impacted by climate change.

“This competition for expansion and access to reducing pools of water is a trend that I am seeing in other water using precincts around the State.

However, thankfully there is another common theme, and that is the desire by communities to work with the government to manage the water supplies that keep their sectors productive.

“Achieving a more sustainable balance between rainfall and abstraction across all of the groundwater systems affected by drying climate is essential to providing security for irrigation licence holders, whether they are water service providers, local governments, horticulturalists or industry and small businesses.

“This incudes areas of the north such as the Ord and the Fitzroy where water may seem to be plentiful but competition for existing resources is already high.

There are also important environmental and cultural considerations in expanding licensed water use for food production.

Minister Kelly says water governance is an area of particular interest given the challenges.

Minister Kelly is currently being briefed on horticultural water supply hot spots. This includes work underway in the Gascoyne, Mid West and greater Perth regions.

and arguably WA’s most important water resource — will continue with a new Gnangara allocation plan in preparation.

“Working on optimal groundwater replenishment and abstraction is essential to maintaining groundwater for public water supplies.

“It will also assist in supporting other licensed users accessing these water resources.”

Minister Kelly says with innovative and efficient use of local stream flows and groundwater, and new approaches to storing and recycling stormwater and wastewater, it is possible to be innovative in the ways we maintain urban green spaces, reduce urban heat and ease pressure on public water supply schemes, and maximise water for sustainable and productive horticulture.

“If we are smart enough, then we will have enough water. I’d like to see us go to the next level in terms of our water-wise thinking and actions.

“This includes innovation in water efficiency and re-use technologies, and the safe use of managed aquifer recharge to store treated wastewater and stormwater to meet non-potable water needs.”

“Achieving balance and security for all competing uses under challenging climate scenarios requires responsive and adaptive management tools.

In taking up his portfolio, Minister Kelly says he looks forward to meeting with key stakeholders and getting their views and support in addressing important water priorities.

“The former government triggered the 2005 irrigation review, so I’ll be catching up on changes to the irrigation sector across the State and issues relating to governance and legislation as a result of that review.

“I’d like to think that together we can achieve as much in the water space as we did when we were last in government,” he says.

“The Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914 legislation is over 100 years old and I think it’s important we look at replacing the Act so we have modern and effective legislation.”

“Carnarvon is obviously a major food bowl and while this year we have seen some flows that have been beneficial to the horticultural industry there, I understand that irrigators are looking to continue working with government to find ways to provide greater security through the years when there is no major rainfall,” he says.

With the Science portfolio also under his belt, Minister Kelly is committed to quality science and considered planning and management of WA’s aquifers.

“Gingin and areas of the Mid West also have high-value horticulture with plans for expansion, but they are also significantly impacted by the drying trend.

“The work the previous Labor government started in managing the critical decline of the Gnangara groundwater system — Perth’s largest

“Our aquifer science is world leading and supports the innovative use of these resources while ensuring the long-term health of valuable water supplies,” he says.

“We have shown we have the vision, the people, and the long-term thinking in this state to tackle the big issues to support liveable communities and a strong economy.

“The irrigation community has always been, and will continue to be, important partners in achieving these goals.”

MORE INFORMATION Department of Water: www.water.wa.gov.au

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Gascoyne aquifer update

BY TROY SINCLAIR DEPARTMENT OF WATER

Summary The Gascoyne River arrived at Nine Mile Bridge on the 5th February, had three 1.5m+ peaks during the month and continued to flow up to 29 March. A second flow of 0.5m arrived on the 7 April. This flow was of higher salinity, but its impact on overall aquifer salinity should be minor (Figure 1).

Aquifer storage calculations for Subarea A indicate that the River Bed Sand (RBS) holds about 5.8GL of the maximum storage volume of 6.0GL. The RBS’s in Subarea B-L are estimated at 70% full. The Older Alluvial Aquifer (OAA) system has been replenished by about 4.2GL (Figure 2).

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Gascoyne River flow River flows peaked at 2.8m on 18 February 2017 and continued to flow till 29 March 2017. The salinity of the lead waters was approximately 350mg/L with the three peak water levels seeing the salinity decrease from 350mg/L to 120mg/L. As the river level fell, the salinity rose slowly to 550mg/L, where it stabilised until the river ceased to flow (Figure 1).

On the 8 April a flow peaked at about 0.5m at 9 Mile Bridge following rain in the upper catchment of the Gascoyne River. This flow was brackish but salinity dropped to previous levels just after the peak height.

The appearance of this flow allowed unrestricted pumping to be continued to the end of April.

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1000

2.8

900 800 700

1.8

600

1.3

500 400

0.8

Salinity (mg/L)

River level (m)

2.3

300

0.3

200

Feb

Mar River level (m)

Apr

100 May

Salinity

FIGURE 1 Nine Mile Bridge gauging station level and salinity

21.0

18

19.0

17

17.0

16

15.0

15

13.0

14

11.0

13

9.0

12

7.0

11

5.0

River flow stage height SL (m)

10

3.0 1.0

9

-1.0

8

Ja

n Ju 09 n N 09 ov Ap 09 r Oc 10 t M 10 ar Au 11 g Ja 11 n 1 Ju 2 l1 De 2 c M 12 ay Oc 13 t Ap 13 r Se 14 p Fe 14 b Ju 15 l1 Ja 5 n Ju 16 n N 16 ov Ap 16 r1 7

Deep (OAA) storage & shallow (RBS) storage (x106m3)

Source: DoW

Shallow storage (RBS)

Deep storage (OAA)

Riverflow at Nine Mile Bridge

RBS December 2016 storage volume 3.91GL

RBS March 2017 storage volume 15.08GL

OAA December 2016 storage volume (0.33 GL)

OAA March 2017 storage volume (4.56 GL)

FIGURE 2 Estimated RBS and OAA Storage volumes highlighting change in volumes from December 2016 to March 2017 Source: DoW

Aquifer status Total Storage Volume — RBS Storage volumes in the RBS respond quickly to river flows. Calculated storage at the end of March was 15.08GL, of a maximum of 19.4GL. It is expected that the small April flow will maintain storage of the RBS within the river channel itself.

However, lateral flow during a river event is driven by river height. A small height of 0.5m is not enough to drive groundwater movement into the adjacent banks with little impact on storage beyond a distance of 500m from the river channel.

RBS storage prior to this small flow was at 78%. It is anticipated that this flow will increase storage to between 80 and 85% of the 19.4GL volume when full.

Total Storage Volume — OAA The impact on the OAA storage of small river flow events commonly less than a stage height of 12m is typically subdued and delayed (Figure 2).

This is because of the lower infiltration rates associated with the clayey sand of OAA aquifer. The total OAA storage volume for the Lower Gascoyne River (Subareas A & B-L) can be depicted as a storage volume by considering the difference between historic high and low negative depletion volumes.

Storage volume portrayed in this fashion showed an increase of 4.23GL (March 2017) resulting from the multiple river flows through the first quarter of 2017 (Figure 2).

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TABLE 1 Carnarvon District water budget summary Subarea

Ground water salinity The river flow event has freshened both the RBS and OAA aquifer systems.

Information from the Northern Borefield operated by the GWC indicates that aquifers across this area, and in particular those located close to the river channel, had an average salinity reduction of 144mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS).

Production bores that are located closer to the river channel and more connected to the RBS showed the greatest declines in salinity.

The effect of the flow on the WC borefield was inconclusive with WC documentation showing an equal number of bores portraying either increasing or decreasing salinity within a range of between 70mg/L and 2400mg/L (decreasing) and 1280mg/L (increasing).

Irrigation sustainable limit (GL)

2017 production (January–April) (GL)

2017 expected production (GL)

A

6.1

1.9

5.5

B-L southern borefield

5.0

1.5

4.3

B-L northern borefield

3.6

0.9

2.1

Source: DoW

The average salinity of operational private Subarea A bores for the three months prior to the flow was 720mg/L TDS and this has decreased to 530mg/L TDS post flow.

With the effective recharge in Subarea A and reduced scheme demand it is envisaged there will be adequate supplies to meet peak irrigation season later in the year.

Water budgets

MORE INFORMATION

Abstraction from Subarea A was below average in January 2017 due to the depleted RBS. It has increased back to normal levels during February and is expected to be above average for the remainder of 2017.

Utilisation of the scheme was high during January 2017 but has dropped significantly since the flow. During 2017 it is expected that approximately 6.4GL out of 8.4GL of shares will be utilised by the district.

Water Fall-Q

Please contact the Department of Water, Carnarvon District Office on (08) 9941 6100 for further information.

IRRIGATION TAPE - Micro chip dripper - Extensive flow rates - Various emitter spacings - Matches current Irrigation set ups - Not sensetive to blockage Competative prices

GROWERS’ AND DISTRIBUTORS’ ENQUIRIES WELCOMED

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WA Grower WINTER 2017

WA crates

The professional packaging service for WA’s ďŹ nest fresh fruit and vegetables

0 email: service@wacrates.com.au

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Adoption of precision systems technology in vegetable production

BY RACHEL LANCASTER VEGETABLESWA

Adoption of precision systems technology in vegetable production (VG16009) is a project being implemented throughout Australia, with the aim to demonstrate the potential for using precision agriculture (PA) to increase crop productivity.

Precision systems technology

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The project will demonstrate a range of PA technologies such as crop biomass sensing, yield monitoring, EM38 soil mapping and variable rate applications.

Capel Farms, located in the south west of WA is trialling precision agriculture techniques, to improve the productivity of the brassica crop, broccolini.

Electromagnetic (EM) and radiometric mapping have been completed on fallow areas of Capel Farms, including previously cropped land and land that is being developed for cropping.

The data from this mapping is currently being processed. When the final images are available, the data will be ground truthed by collecting soil samples in a targeted pattern, to identify the actual cause of the identified variability.

CAPEL Farms, located in the south west of WA, is trialling precision agriculture techniques.

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Precision agriculture techniques such as crop biomass sensing will be used to identify areas of reduced crop growth in current broccolini crops.

The reliability of this information and its potential use for agronomic decisions is then determined through a targeted ground truthing program.

Once the reason for variable areas have been identified, precision agriculture techniques such as variable rate application of fertiliser or soil amendments can be utilised to increase crop productivity.

An area of particular interest to Capel Farms is the potential to use crop biomass sensing to identify areas in the crop where disease may be impacting on crop growth prior to seeing visual symptoms.

Combined with disease modelling to include environmental conditions, the early identification of disease could assist

MAPPING and ground truthing of data at Capel Farms will continue for three years.

growers to apply treatments earlier, reducing the potential for crop loss compared to the management of disease at a later stage of crop growth.

The project is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia, using grower levy funds matched by the Australian government. The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland is leading the project throughout Australia. vegetablesWA is managing the project in Western Australia, with demonstration sites located at Capel and Gingin.

Mapping and ground truthing of data on broccolini crops at Capel Farms will continue for three years.

MORE INFORMATION For further information contact Rebecca Blackman at vegetablesWA on (08) 9481 0834 or office@vegetableswa.com.au

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IDEAL FOR PLANTING FEBRUARY, MARCH AND APRIL

Varieties: Rodeo, Royal Blue, White Star, Nadine, Maris Piper

CONTACT - David Fox 0457 370 784 for more information WA Grower WINTER 2017

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Nothing beets

genuine school grown produce

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WA Grower WINTER 2017

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BY REBECCA BLACKMAN FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

A special consignment of beetroot produced by budding young horticulturists has made its way to the Genuinely Southern Forests Allstates Farms market floor in early June, as Manjimup Senior High School students harvest their wares and send them to market.

(L–R): Ryan Edwards, Toby Yeatman and Charlee Rowe.

Some of the chefs GetFresh Merchants service have expressed an interest to get their hands on the beetroot to include in their seasonal menus. The produce was delivered to a few restaurants around Perth such as Manuka Woodfire Kitchen in Fremantle.

The Genuinely Southern Forests Allstates Farms market floor was launched in January 2017 and has seen over $1m of Genuinely Southern Forests produce sold.

Senior horticulture students, led by their teacher Mr Andrew Pound, have produced various crops and having reached maturity were looking for options to sell their produce and looked to the Southern Forests Food Council (SFFC) for advice.

The initiative provides Genuinely Southern Forests growers with an avenue to sell their branded produce as well as buyers to access genuine fresh local produce from WA’s premier growing region.

“The students are keen to learn about food production and understand the supply chain, so it was great to be able to link in with the great work that the Food Council are doing,” said Mr Pound.

SFFC Produce Liaison Officer, Anthony East was impressed by the initiative and visited the class to demonstrate how to harvest and prepare the beetroot crop for sale through the Genuinely Southern Forests market floor at Canning Vale.

“We are keen to support the next generation of farmers, and it’s great that we now have an avenue through the Genuinely Southern Forests market floor for the students to understand the whole supply chain from growing, to harvesting, and getting the product to market,” said Mr East.

The role of the Southern Forests Food Council is to represent the interest of local producers, culinary and agri-tourism operators and to foster the Southern Forests status as one of the nation’s key food bowls and culinary tourism regions. The region produces 90% of WA’s broccoli and potato production with 50 other varieties of fruit and vegetables grown in the region.

MORE INFORMATION

TOP (L–R): Liam McKenna, Jacob Reicholt, Michael Lewis and Skye Bruce.

ABOVE (L–R): Michael Curedale from GetFresh Merchants and Penny Pell.

Contact Bevan Eatts (SFFC Executive Chairman) on 0419 811 823 or email bevan@southernforestsfood.com

The consignment has piqued the interest of GetFresh Merchants, who have recently partnered with Genuinely Southern Forests to supply their clients across the hospitality industry.

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ADVERTORIAL

Innovation is a driving force in agriculture. The technology and practice improvements that the industry has seen, experienced and enjoyed over the last century are vast.

When it comes down to the basics of farming though, if the soil isn’t healthy then all the other innovations aren’t going to be as effective.

One great way to improve soil health is through the addition of organic matter which will activate and drive the proliferation of biology in the soil and this is where compost and composted products come into their own. Like many manufacturing sectors, the process of composting has evolved to some extent over the years but the basic composting practice has remained reasonably unchanged.

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Reinventing the wheel, a wheel made of compost

A company pushing the boundaries of composting is Neutrog Australia which has almost 30 years’ experience in the production of biological fertilisers.

“Traditional composting requires significant amounts of time and energy to turn and monitor large static piles of material. We wanted to find a way in which we could produce better compost whilst reducing the time and resources required so we decided to develop a system which injects microbes designed to breakdown the raw materials and thereby accelerate the process,” said Dr Uwe Stroeher PhD, R&D Manager at Neutrog Australia.

Neutrog Australia’s new Poultus™ System is a proprietary owned, developed and built system specifically designed to increase microbial activity in compost.

The technology enables Neutrog to manufacture biologically inoculated compost and fertilisers with far greater and more diverse beneficial bacteria.

Traditional composting in static piles requires large inputs of energy to maintain oxygen, temperature and moisture at optimal levels — usually through the process of turning. On top of this, large piles inhibit effective management and if moisture and temperature are not controlled, compost piles can catch fire.

The Poultus™ System allows effective control of these environmental factors by varying the addition of air and moisture into the pile so the pile runs efficiently at optimal environmental parameters 24/7.

Besides managing moisture in the compost pile, the Poultus™ System also uses a unique atomisation device (patent pending) to inoculate the compost with a microbial liquid—named eNcase™. The inoculant eNcase™ contains a wide diversity of beneficial bacteria specifically selected to breakdown cellulose and organic materials.

It helps to optimise nutrient retention and in doing so reduces odour emissions—mostly through the capture and conversion of free ammonia to a more stable form of nitrogen.

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This treatment of the raw manure gives Neutrog greater control over the biosecurity of the final product.

NeutrogCompost2 N=295

Figure 1 shows Neutrog’s composts contain a significantly higher diversity of microbes than some other composts — in this case well over 200 genera compared to 151.

“For the farmer, having more microbes and a greater diversity means that our product not only provides stabilised nutrients but also helps to inoculate the soil with microbes which will be beneficial to plant growth and yield. On top of this, having a diverse range of microbes allows application on many different soil types as there will always be some bacteria or fungi which can survive and proliferate, thereby enhancing the nutrient cycling of the soil and encouraging soil microbe proliferation,” said Dr Stroeher.

ExternalCompost N=151

33

2 7

43 19

3

4 0

15 119 1

44

16

30

5 NeutrogCompost1 N=235

NeutrogCompost3 N=233

FIGURE 1 Neutrog’s compost microbe diversity Source: Neutrog

Maintenance of the right composting temperature is critical. A temperature around 65°C allows for maximum biological activity — high enough to quickly kill off any harmful pathogenic bacteria (above 55°C) and low enough not to kill

the beneficial bacteria (which commence dying at 70–75°C). The ability to regulate parameters like temperature, moisture and oxygen ensures product consistency regardless of external environmental conditions.

The Poultus™ System stabilises nutrients and also ensures the compost is free from any pathogens, parasites or weed seeds.

Fine-tuning the atomisation device led by Neutrog's microbiologist Dr Uwe Stroeher, has taken the team months of work. Dr Stroeher plays a pivotal role in developing new technologies to maximise the beneficial microbiology in all of Neutrog’s fertiliser and compost products.

MORE INFORMATION For more information contact Brian Klepzig, Neutrog Australia’s Customer Relationship Manager based in Western Australia on 0417 580 817 or at brian@neutrog.com.au.

Is this a good look for your industry?

Burn or bury those

emical waste!

. not your ch .. g in cl cy re n o s e d ld attitu

o

You can’t ignore it any more, most QA programs require responsible waste management.

On our websites you can locate your nearest drumMUSTER collection site with an interactive map. You can also find out the status of the next ChemClear collection in each state. It’s quick and simple. Contact your WA consultant, Graeme Passmore: 0429 933 307 1800 008 707 | www.drummuster.org.au 1800 008 182 | www.chemclear.org.au WA Grower WINTER 2017

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Aussie plant biosecurity gets a tech injection Australia is on track to adopt some of the most sophisticated plant pest surveillance technologies in the world after Horticulture Innovation Australia (Hort Innovation) secured a Federal Government grant and co-investor funding to deliver a $12M plant biosecurity push.

Mr Lloyd said these pilot monitoring hubs will be positioned on the edges of incursion areas to prevent the spread of threats, and also in new pest and disease zones to determine the breadth of any problems.

They will also be employed for spot checks in pest-free regions, with the data gathered used to support market access.

Announced by the Australian Government, the $7.4 million Rural R&D for Profit grant will complement more than $14 million in investment across the seven plant Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) and partners such as the CSIRO, universities and state government agencies. Vegetable industry body AUSVEG and Plant Health Australia are also key collaborators.

Hort Innovation chief executive John Lloyd said the new project, which will begin in July, will further safeguard Australian agriculture from pathogen and pest incursions.

“The early detection and identification of any new pathogen or pest is critical, and a pre-emptive approach is vital to control,” he said.

“Pests and diseases can devastate growers, affect the supply of timber, food and fibre products and hinder trade opportunities.”

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THE new project, which will begin in July, will further safeguard Australian agriculture from pathogen and pest incursions.

“This new $21 million initiative will utilise next-generation technologies to build on Australia’s reputation for offering clean, green plant products.”

The five-year project will see the construction and establishment of eight state-of-the-art mobile pest monitoring hubs, including a suite of smart surveillance traps that capture airborne fungal spores and insects and reference them against GPS, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction data.

That data will then be fed real-time into cloud-based system AUSPestCheck — a national database that is already being used by State and Territory governments.

It will then be distributed to producers, governments and industry groups in the form of immediate alerts, pest forecasts and general reports to support fast, informed and collaborative decision making.

“This new initiative will utilise nextgeneration technologies to allow producers to receive timely and accurate information about pests and pathogens in their region, help them with management decisions, reduce resistance and demonstrate pestfree status to export markets.”

Throughout the life of the project, producers will be trained to access the data system, and shown how to use it to improve farm productivity and reduce farm input costs.

This announcement comes off the back of the nation’s plant RDCs’ commitment to unite efforts to strengthen Australian plant biosecurity, made in March. It also complements the Federal Government’s announcement of three separate biosecurity projects on May 13.

MORE INFORMATION Contact Horticulture Innovation Australia on (02) 8295 2300 or www.horticulture.com.au

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Hort Innovation National Vegetable Extension Network update

BY REBECCA BLACKMAN FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

Since the last project update there has been the Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP) incursion which has been the main focus within the office and the project team members.

Truyen has seen a large number of Vietnamese growers, to assist them with dealing with the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA (DAFWA) for TPP, through to translating the updates and notices which have been posted and emailed to effected growers.

Claire has been working on the market access TPP issues which have impacted a number of growers who don’t grow the effected crops.

She has successfully managed to provide assistance to some growers and they have been provided with permits to be able to supply into New South Wales and Victoria. If you are having any market issues and would like assistance please contact Claire.

Contact the team:

WOMEN in Hort — Maureen Dobra, Sam Grubisa and Laureen East.

In May we engaged a new Industry Extension Officer, Sam Grubisa. Sam formally started with vegetablesWA on the 22nd May however attended Hort Connections in Adelaide as part of the vegetablesWA team and to meet with the wider project VegNET team.

Whilst in Adelaide both Truyen and Sam took part in the Field Day, VegNET team breakfast and the Gala Dinner. Sam also attended the Women in Horticulture event along with vegetablesWA committee members Maureen Dobra and Lauren East.

SAM GRUBISA INDUSTRY EXTENSION OFFICER P: 0427 373 037 E: sam.grubisa@vegetableswa.com.au

VO THE TRUYEN FIELD EXTENSION OFFICER P: 0457 457 559 E: truyen.vo@vegetableswa.com.au

The next major industry event will be the Industry Leadership Summit which will be held at the Crown Perth on Friday 27 October with the Grower Group Tour taking place in the morning.

MORE INFORMATION If you are interested in attending this event please speak to any of the team members or contact the office and speak to Rebecca (08) 9481 0834 or email rebecca.blackman@ vegetableswa.com.au.

CLAIRE MCCLELLAND MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER P: 0477 477 044 E: claire.mcclelland@vegetableswa.com.au

This project has been funded by APC-VPC vegetable fee for service and by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the vegetable industry levy and funds from the Australian Government.

WA Grower WINTER 2017

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WA growers industry’s best

celebrated at Hort Connections Gala Dinner Sumich

The Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner, which was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on 17 May, provided the opportunity to acknowledge the dedication and determination of the industry’s leading growers, researchers and suppliers.

“The Awards for Excellence are a rare chance for us to come together and recognise the outstanding achievements of our leading growers and industry members, as well as to celebrate the great work that our industry undertakes in feeding the entire nation,” said AUSVEG CEO James Whiteside.

“Everyone who was nominated for an award this year has demonstrated their commitment to the industry and has made a valuable contribution to its ongoing growth and success.

“I’d like to congratulate every individual and business who won an award at this year’s Awards for Excellence and thank them for their continued dedication to our industry.”

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Photo courtesy AUSVEG

ABOVE: vegetablesWA’s CEO John Shannon and Industry Extension Officer, Sam Grubisa.

RIGHT: Vincent Tana (Sumich) (left) with Roger Gaudion, Head of NAB Agribusiness for Victoria and Tasmania.

The winners of the National Awards for Excellence in WA were Sumich, WA — NAB Agribusiness Exporter of the Year.

Other noted winners were: • Trish Skinner, WA: Meritorious Service Award • Anthony Staatz, Qld: Grower of the Year (proudly sponsored by Syngenta) • Daniel Adams, Vic: Young Grower of the Year (proudly sponsored by Dow AgroSciences)

Photo courtesy Good Fruit & Vegetables

Australia’s leading vegetable and potato growers and industry members have been recognised at the Hort Connections 2017 Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner, with around 1,100 attendees from every sector of Australian horticulture celebrating the significant contributions of the industry and its members.

Photo courtesy Good Fruit & Vegetables

BY REBECCA BLACKMAN FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

NAB Agribusiness Exporter of the Year!

LAUREN East (grower & vegetablesWA CoM), Sam Grubisa (Industry Extension Officer) and Mitchell East (grower).

• Rijk Zwaan, Vic: Innovation Partner (proudly sponsored by Boomaroo Nurseries)

The Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner was the capstone event of Hort Connections 2017, the premier event in Australian horticulture. Over 2,500 local and international delegates converged for the three-day event, which featured a trade show with over 200 local and global supply chain partners and presentations from the industry’s leading thinkers.

• Matthew Stein, SA: Researcher of the Year (proudly sponsored by Bayer)

MORE INFORMATION

• Lisa Brassington, Vic: Women in Horticulture (proudly sponsored by Steritech)

Hort Connections will take place next year at Brisbane Convention Centre on 18–20 June 2018 and you can register online: http://hortconnections.com.au/

• Michael Tran, Vic: Community Stewardship (proudly sponsored by DuPont)

• Hills Transplants, Tas: Environmental Award (proudly sponsored by the Butler Market Gardens) • Sundrop Farms, SA: Industry Impact (proudly sponsored by Visy)

POMEWEST

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Pomewest Committee Members Harvey Giblett — Chair E: newtonbros@wn.com.au Mario Casotti E: mario@casottigroup.com Sam Licciardello E: sam@orchard1sixty.com.au Mark Scott E: markpscott@bigpond.com Nardia Stacy — Executive Manager E: nardia@fruitwest.org.au

APC–Pomewest FFS Income 2016–17 Project General Account Budget Biosecurity Account Budget

$ 500,000 70,000

APC-Pomewest projects 2016–17 Project Commercialisation for WA (FW Co-operative Ltd)

$

Dormancy and New Technology Project (Susie Murphy White)

68,135

Medfly Surveillance Trapping Network (Ashmere Consulting)

58,025

Codling Moth (DAFWA)

35,620

Maturity Standards legislation and compliance (Ashmere Consulting)

25,000

Flavonoid Project

25,000

Natural Mite control Project (shared with the Stone Fruit Subcommittee) (Stewart Learmonth DAFWA)

7,900

Promotion & Publicity Local Project (Fresh Finesse)

16,000

Industry Sponsorships and Association Memberships

12,000

APC Administration Charge

123,500 45,000

APC fee for service charge POME Fruit effective from 1 January 2015

62

Type of fruit

$/kg

Fresh fruit — Apples, Pears, Nashi, other

0.015

Processing fruit

0.005

Biosecurity FFS for fresh fruit

0.002

Biosecurity FFS for processing fruit

0.001

WA Grower AUTUMN 2017

Report

120,000

Note less 50% salary reimbursed for professional services of Nardia Stacy as executive officer as in 15–16 financial year.

Administration

Executive Manager

BY NARDIA STACY EXECUTIVE MANAGER, POMEWEST

The 2017 West Australian harvest season has mostly been smooth sailing with the weather being very kind for picking.

Cold mornings have ensured good colour development with most varieties having a two week delay. Pink Lady™ picking only started in Manjimup on the 10 May. Fruit size has been just on or just below the WA and Australian averages. By all reports the volumes are sound and prices are holding up very well.

Committee There are positions available on the Pomewest Committee and the APC will appoint from nominations received from the recent nomination call.

Pomewest will advise the outcome of this process shortly.

Tomato potato psyllid (TPP) After a month of concern about exporting our WA apples and pears to the East Coast there has been some welcome news for the WA Pome industry.

After negotiations between industry, Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) and the States and the carrier host status as part Rosaceae family, it is now pleasing to report there has been major progress for our export conditions. This result has come about after DAFWA hosted a workshop in Adelaide 8–9 May to discuss protocols to facilitate interstate trade and market access and TPP movement restrictions.

The outcome has been that fruit from WA has been placed in a new category and recognised as a non-TPP carrier which aligns with the current NZ imports protocol.

This means that trade can stay as normal provided they are free of any green plant or leaf material. This will have a significant impact for our market access to the East especially for developing markets for the Bravo™ apple and for organic growers with pre-existing contracts in the East.

Along with other conventional growers who were planning to export to the

POMEWEST

East later in the season. On behalf of the Pome industry I thank DAFWA for their assistance in sorting out this matter for our industry — it is a great example of how DAFWA has acted in the best interests of industry and by working together we have been to achieve this outcome.

Other planned activities for 2017–18 FFS funding year: Social media As you are already aware, Pomewest has funded social media campaign, a new initiative of the Pomewest Committee this season. Facebook www.facebook.com/ ApplesWA Instagram: waapplesandpears We encourage our members to have a look at both sites — and please like the Facebook page and follow Instagram as support to the industry. Contributions for images and positive comments are welcome, just use your mobile phone to assist us with great stories, images/videos of your produce. Be aware that images surrounding picking, packing, fruit on trees, farmers markets — anything that will be of interest to the consumer will assist us in promoting the industry and demand for our fruit. Please be aware that content should be only be positive and reflect the industry’s dedication to provide consumers with a top quality product.

Study Tour NZ Exciting news Susie Murphy White is planning a Study Tour to NZ for our members for the opportunity to visit orchards in New Zealand and encourage the transfer of orchard technology.

CONTRIBUTIONS of images and positive comments assist us in promoting the industry and demand for our fruit.

Study tours are an essential part of the orchard technology transfer process necessary in the WA Pome fruit industry.

It will influence participants on the impact of important decision making, feeding conversations and changing practices in the industry. At present there is a generational shift in some WA orchards, this is an opportunity to encourage the future orchardists to identify and develop new skills and techniques which can be adapted to suit their own circumstances.

For example varietal choices, rootstock choices, staff management, planting architecture and tree training options.

Bravo™ launch The Bravo™ Apple 2017 WA Season launch took place on 9 May at the Perth City Farm. This event was sponsored by the appointed marketers WA Farm Direct. The event, a long table dinner, featured four course Bravo™ dishes from Ambassador Chef Sophie Zalokar. Brand champions, from growers, retailers, media, and hospitality all enjoyed this amazing evening.

Part of the technology transfer process is to see the growing systems, varieties being planted in major pome fruit areas of NZ, new technologies and mechanical assistance in the orchard, learn about their export process and what NZ expect to be exporting. The NZ Pome fruit industry is geared towards export and our WA Pome fruit industry has much to gain from the NZ experience.

Timing of this tour will be decided shortly.

Minimum Maturity Standards — Royal Gala, Pink Lady™ and Granny Smith All WA growers have supported maturity standards for the above varieties.

Francis Delima of Aghort Solutions has been contracted to test fruit to ensure that growers and the supply chain are adhering to the proposed maturity standards that were agreed to earlier this year. It is important to make sure that these standards are achievable as it is the WA industry intention to legislate these standards for the 2018 season. This will improve the eating qualities for WA consumers. Reporting to growers will happen shortly along with an article in this edition.

Sponsorships and promotions The Donnybrook Apple festival over the Easter Break, and School Health Week featured new season’s fruit in May was supported by Pomewest via promotion and sponsorship programs.

The Perth Royal Show is again being considered again as the main feature for WA pomefruit promotion in late September/early October.

Upcoming events Please note that the next Future Orchard walk will take please on Friday 23rd June for a 9.00 am start — venue will be announced via our email distribution communication systems.

Our new Facebook page

facebook.com/ ApplesWA

We welcome any queries or suggestions from our members please feel free to contact me any time for assistance.

MORE INFORMATION Contact Nardia Stacy on (08) 9368 3869 or nardia@pomewest.net.au

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Market quality testing for Royal Gala, Pink Lady and Granny Smith in 2017

BY DR FRANCIS DE LIMA DIRECTOR AGHORT SOLUTIONS PTY. LTD.

To retain market share in the midst of high competition, major fresh food retailers require growers to supply good quality and safe fruit.

This led to a short project running from February to September 2017 to test WA grown Gala, Granny Smith and Pink Lady™ apples supplied to the market. The aim is to assess quality at harvest in the orchard and follow through in the supply chain at the wholesale market and at selected retail outlets including the major

6.0 4.0

0 0

supermarkets. The project’s significance is in providing information on industry's ability to supply fruit that will meet the minimum standards proposed under the WA Biosecurity and Management Act 2007.

The apples are tested using techniques for assessment approved by Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL) as well as the methodology used for the 2015–16 Pomewest project that tested the maturity of WA apple varieties.

8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 200

400 600 800 Number of samples FIGURE 1 Record of firmness (kgf) of Gala apples presented for sale in 2017 Samples below the 6.1 kgf standard represent approximately 3% of the apples sold

600

Fruit pressure (kg) is measured by using a FT 327 Penetrometer (11mm tip); total soluble solids (°Brix) are measured using a high precision digital sucrose refractometer with automatic temperature compensation; fruits are scored on a Starch Index test (SI) Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) and fruit acidity (Malic acid) is measured using a Hanna Instruments mini titrator for fruit juice analysis.

18.0 16.0 14.0 12.0 10.0

0

200 150 100 50 0

400 8007) (1, 2) 200 (2, 3) (3, 4) (4, 5) 600 (5, 6) (6, Number ofStarch samples index FIGURE 2 Measurement of total soluble solids (°Brix) of Gala apples sold in wholesale and retail markets in 2017 Samples below the 11.5 standard represent approximately 15% of the apples sold

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800

250

8.0

0

400 Number of samples

Standard Standard = 11.5 = 3

20.0 % Total soluable solids (°Brix)

10.0

0

200

THE testing measures fruit pressure, total soluble solids, starch index and fruit acidity.

12.0 Firmness (kgf)

8.0

2.0

Standard = 6.1kgf

14.0

10.0

Frequency of samples

Early in 2017 provisional draft minimum maturity standards were presented by Pomewest for consideration by industry.

12.0 Firmness (kgf)

In keeping with consumer demand large supermarket chains have ceased their requirement to wax apples this year. The Western Australian pome fruit industry is focussed on delivering high quality fruits to consumers. Pomewest has funded research for many years with the aim of boosting quality.

Standard = 6.1kgf

14.0

Frequency of sam

150

50 0

800

Frequency of samples

250

Standard = 3(2, 3) (1, 2)

(3, 4) (4, 5) Starch index

(5, 6)

(6, 7)

200

Team Bravo

150

attended Hort Connections

100 50 0

800

POMEWEST

100

(1, 2)

(2, 3)

(3, 4) (4, 5) Starch index

(5, 6)

(6, 7)

BY NARDIA STACY EXECUTIVE MANAGER, POMEWEST

FIGURE 3 Starch Index of Gala apples sold in wholesale and retail markets in 2017 Samples below the 3.0 SI standard represent approximately 20% of the apples sold

Titratable acidity % Malic acid

0.50

800

0.45 0.40 0.35 0.30 0.25 0.20 0.50

Titratable acidity % Malic acid

Standard = 0.3

0 Standard = 0.3 200

400 Number of samples

600

800

0.45 of acidity in Gala apples sold at wholesale and retail markets in 2017 FIGURE 4 Measurement Samples above 0.3% malic acid indicate higher tart taste in the majority of apples sold. The taste will moderate in storage

0.40

Photographs of the test apples are taken 0.35 and external appearance is scored using supermarket guidelines.

Data with 0.30 diagnostic information is supplied to 0.25 Pomewest in fortnightly reports.

supplying good quality fruits. Some produce below standard has been recorded. There is some mixing of old fruit (2016 harvest) which shows up as firmness approaching 4 and starch index (SI) of 6.

Some fruits have SI of 1 indicating The expected0.20 project outcome is immature fruits. in 0 analysis 200 400 600 The °Brix content 800 data and of the immature Number of samples fruits show that some fruit quality of market supply from the records are as low as 8%. The majority of 2017 harvest. fruits have % malic acid above 0.3 indicating

800 scientific

Industry benefits are information on: a) quality of supply with regard to the proposed standards; b) age of fruit supplied i.e. from the 2017 or an earlier harvest; c) storage capabilities in the supply chain that affect quality at point of sale.

This information will assist industry to determine where quality improvements can be made at harvest and in the supply chain and the requirements for further information and/or training.

The data obtained for fruits supplied to wholesale and retail markets are shown in Figures 1–4.

Results for Gala apples sold in wholesale and retail markets including supermarkets show that the majority of growers are

tartness. This will moderate in a few weeks of cold storage. The data shows that the majority of growers are supplying very good crops even though the 2016 climatic conditions did not represent optimum conditions. There is sufficient opportunity to raise the standards to be more in line with international standards for Gala such as observed in New Zealand.

MORE INFORMATION Contact Nardia Stacy for further information on email nardia@fruitwest.org.au or phone (08) 9368 3869

MATTHEW McInerney, Jenny Mercer, Steele Jacob, Nardia Stacy & Dan Kuzmicich.

The trademarked Bravo™ apple was very well received especially during the tradeshow.

It was the ideal platform to increase national market/brand awareness and increase the army of ‘Bravo™ champions’.

Team Bravo™ were present at the recent Hort Connections 2017, 15–17 May in Adelaide, to promote the Bravo™ apple. Many thanks to Visy for championing the Bravo™ apple at this event.

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WA launch Sophie drew attention to Bravo™ apple’s sweetness and fresh aroma that she likens to the earthy smell of rain on dry earth. The apple also has hints of woody, Christmas spice and red wine flavours.

Photos courtesy Craig Kinder Food Photography.

“Bravo™ is so striking in its appearance and the good news is that it excels in the flavour department as well,” said Sophie.

Fruit West Executive Officer, Nardia Stacy, said, “Commercial production of Bravo™ will increase every year allowing the introduction of this very impressive apple into many more retail outlets.”

SOPHIE Zalokar (Chef & Bravo™ ambassador), Alannah MacTiernan (Minister for Agriculture & Food MLC), Nardia Stacy (FWCL) and Jenny Mercer (WA Farm Direct).

STEELE Jacob (DAFWA), Nardia Stacy (FWCL) and Mario Casotti (FWCL).

Industry heavy weights gathered May 9th for the 2017 launch of Bravo™, the apple that is truly Like No Other™.

Top Perth chefs, retailers, media and social commentators joined Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan and horticulture industry leaders for the launch of the 2017 Bravo™ apple season at the Perth City Farm. The event was sponsored

by WA Farm Direct. The apple, over two decades in the making, is an exciting new choice for Australian consumers.

INGRID Behr & Bill Ryan (APC), Harvey Giblett (Pomewest) and Gail (Ipson Cutts).

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The launch provided the perfect opportunity to showcase the striking burgundy apple, currently available in independent retailers and Woolworths stores in WA. The launch also kicked off the #BiteYourBravo photography competition to be run through social media (@bravoapples on Instagram and @bravoapplesofficial on Facebook) with the winner to receive a weekend getaway in the heart of apple country at Foragers in Pemberton.

Guests were served a menu created by renowned chef and local food champion Sophie Zalokar, with Bravo™ apples featured in every course.

“We want to educate retailers and apple eaters about the special qualities of Bravo™, from its visual appeal to its refreshing flavour, so that they can help spread the word,” she added.

Jenny Mercer, Managing Director of WA Farm Direct, and the national supplier of the Bravo™ apple, said “we’re really hopeful that Bravo™ will be a turning point for Australian orchardists who have been doing it really tough for a long time. Bravo™ is only grown in Australia and because it’s so unique the export demand has been strong.

If we can start the process of helping orchards become sustainable again, it does a lot to increase jobs in rural Australia and bring some much needed investment back into our rural communities.

This could really be the start of a brand new industry, which will benefit all Australians.”

POMEWEST

#BiteYourBravo

Social Media Competition

Colin Griffin Buyer for The Boatshed Market commented “Celebrating years of tireless work put into the development of this unique variety — a world first — was the culmination of a dedicated program from Fruit West Co-operative Ltd to showcase Bravo™ on the National and International stage. Attendees at the dinner were proud to be charged as champions of the Bravo™ apple.”

To celebrate the 2017 launch of Bravo™ apple, WA Farm Direct is giving away a weekend stay at Foragers in Pemberton.

The apple was bred by the Department of Agriculture and Food as part of a program supported by the State Government and industry.

Bravo™ apple history

WIN

In 1992, John Cripps, crossed two apple varieties — Cripps Red and Royal Gala — which bore a number of seedlings.

Over the next twenty years, the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA), as part of the Australian National Apple Breeding Program, developed and further tested these apple trees and their fruit. It was quite apparent through this time that the program had something like no other apple, in the fruit of ANABP 01 variety from which we get the Bravo™ branded apple.

Interest in the new variety and its distinctive fruit peaked interest from local Western Australian growers, as well as growers from the eastern states.

A weekend stay at Foragers!

The competition was launched on Facebook and Instagram on the 10th May. For a chance to win the ultimate getaway, customers need to follow Bravo™’s offical pages on Instagram or Facebook and post a picture featuring a delicious Bravo apple using the hashtag #BiteYourBravo and tagging @bravoapples (Instagram) or @bravoapplesofficial (Facebook). One winner from all entries on Facebook and Instagram will be selected with the competition closing on the 31st August 2017.

Terms and conditions apply, head to the Bravo™ Facebook page for more details.

Bravo Apples

Bravo™ apple tasting notes (by Sophie Zalokar) Colour and appearance • A medium to large, full and rounded sized apple with a distinctively rich, deep burgundy coloured skin and golden lenticels or sparkle-like flecks over the skin surface

bravoapples

Stockists Wholesale via WA Farm Direct MP 58 Market City, 280 Bannister Road, Canning Vale WA Jenny Mercer M: 0409 880 569 E: jenny.mercer@wafarmdirect.com.au Brad Mercer M: 0419 492 677 E: brad.mercer@wafarmdirect.com.au

• Creamy, parchment white flesh colour, which beautifully contrasts to the skin.

When cut, the flesh is slow to oxidize

ANABP 01 was released to commercial orchards in Australia in 2014 through a commercialisation arrangement with Fruit West Co-operative Limited.

• The apple flesh has a firm, crisp texture loaded with juice, holding its shape well when cooked

In 2016, Bravo™ branded apples debuted on premium retailers' shelves in WA and New South Wales.

Aroma and flavours

Bravo™ apples have a distinct sweetness, are crisp and crunchy, and have a striking dark burgundy colour like no other apple in the Australian market. Bravo™ has been embraced by growers, retailers and consumers alike, as an exciting new choice for apple lovers.

• Hints of woody, Christmas spice and red wine flavours

• Great crispy crunch and feel in the mouth when eaten as table fruit.

• Sweet with a fresh aroma similar to the earthy smell of rain on dry earth

• Very pleasant, well balanced sugar to acid flavour.

Retailers For a list of retailers please visit fruitwest.com

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Improving natural control of mites in WA Release and monitor new species of predatory mites

BY STEWART LEARMONTH DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD WESTERN AUSTRALIA MANJIMUP

Four mite species were monitored. These include two-spotted mite, bryobia mite, apple rust mite and European red mite.

There was an emphasis on European red mite because the main aim of the project is to introduce, release and monitor the effect of the predatory mite, Typhodromus pyri, which has a reputation of controlling ERM in eastern Australia. Comments on the abundance and natural control of all four species in the orchards monitored are included. Orchards chosen for study were in the Donnybrook, Manjimup/Pemberton and Nannup areas. No apple orchards in the Perth Hills were included in this study because European red mite has the reputation of being more prevalent in the southern areas of production.

Two-spotted mite was conspicuous by its veritable absence in these southern areas of apple production. There may be a couple of reasons for this. Now endemic predators of two-spotted mite have the reputation of not being as efficient in controlling European red mite and so it may be that two-spotted mite may have

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release in WA

EUROPEAN red mite leaf damage.

Apple rust mite is a relatively common species in apple orchards but consistently is controlled by predatory mites.

Photo courtesy of Professor Yang Cao (ASAG)

This project studies the role of predatory mites in both pome fruit and stone fruit orchards with the aim of improving natural control of the main species of pest mite through the introduction of predatory mite species considered to be absent from Western Australia. This report summarises activities for pome fruit in the 2016–17 season.

Predatory mite

This pest mite is microscopic and it is important for orchardists to understand that it occurs so sprays possibly disruptive to the predator can be avoided.

A predatory mite (Typhodromus pyri) eating a tobacco beetle egg.

been displaced by European red mite. Also miticide use against two-spotted mite is well timed through regular monitoring as well as the strategic use of the chemical abamectin early.

Bryobia mite has been of importance in apples in a Nannup orchard. Unlike other pest mite species, bryobia mite is not known to have any particular species of effective predatory mites. A preliminary examination of the efficacy of releases of the predatory mite “californicus” seem to have been ineffective. Discussions with orchardists on managing this mite in both pome and stone fruit orchards relate to use of oil sprays in spring.

The species of predatory mite identified and associated with apple rust mite is not considered to be effective against pest mites that belong to the family of mites that contains the pests two-spotted mite, bryobia mite and European red mite.

ERM was present in two orchards at good levels for releasing T pyri. Unfortunately this predator was not available from Victoria in time this season. An extension of the project will be requested to import and assess this natural control agent.

MORE INFORMATION For more information contact Stewart Learmonth at stewart.learmonth@agric. wa.gov.au

Department of Agriculture and Food

YOUR BUSINESS

YOUR

BUSINESS

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YOUR BUSINESS

AGRICULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS

from the 2017–18 Federal Budget

BY REBECCA BLACKMAN FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

The Turnbull Government’s second Budget was delivered in May by Federal Treasurer the Hon. Scott Morrison MP. Some key points of relevance to the vegetable and potato industries, as well as the wider agriculture industry, are identified in the summary below.

Among the new funding is an additional $8.4 billion towards an inland rail line, stretching 1,700 kilometres between Melbourne and Brisbane. It will ultimately help reduce transport costs for regional agricultural producers and consumers along the eastern seaboard. Construction is set to start as early as this year, and is expected to be complete by 2024.

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The Federal Government will also establish a new Regional Investment Corporation, as it extends the eligibility for the Farm Business Concessional Loans Scheme.

The new loans allow recipients of the Farm Household Allowance access to extra funding to assist in reducing debt, as long as they are not receiving any other Government support. Farmers will be eligible for loans of up to 50% of their current debt position to a maximum of $1 million for refinancing purposes. The loans will be available to recipients who will be exhausting their existing entitlement on or before 30 June 2018.

These loans will be overseen by the new RIC, which will streamline future delivery of loan arrangements, deliver national consistency and ensure farm business loans are approved efficiently, to help farming businesses in need.

$200m biosecurity surveillance system

The Government will also strengthen the imported food safety program, placing more responsibility on importers to source safe food and provide documentary evidence that they have internationally recognised controls in place. Funding has also been allocated for additional emergency powers to stop and manage new and emerging risks at the border.

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources says it is continuing its $30.8 million per year from two budgets ago, in line with its commitment to break down technical barriers to trade, including the appointment of agriculture councillors.

This year also sees the third instalment of the Government’s $200 million biosecurity surveillance system improvements, and $12.4 million to improve traceability systems to ensure the integrity of products and that markets remain open.

YOUR BUSINESS

Major initiatives Extending the immediate deductibility threshold for small businesses The Government will extend the 2015–16 Budget measure Growing Jobs and Small Business — expanding accelerated depreciation for small businesses by 12 months to 30 June 2018 for businesses with aggregated annual turnover less than $10 million.

Small businesses will be able to immediately deduct purchases of eligible assets costing less than $20,000 first used or installed ready for use by 30 June 2018. Only a few assets are not eligible (such as horticultural plants and in-house software).

Assets valued at $20,000 or more (which cannot be immediately deducted) can continue to be placed into the small business simplified depreciation pool (the pool) and depreciated at 15% in the first income year and 30% each income year thereafter. The pool can also be immediately deducted if the balance is less than $20,000 over this period (including existing pools).

The current ‘lock out’ laws for the simplified depreciation rules (these prevent small businesses from re-entering the simplified depreciation regime for five years if they opt out) will continue to be suspended until 30 June 2018.

SMALL businesses will be able to immediately deduct purchases of eligible assets costing less than $20,000.

From 1 July 2018, the immediate deductibility threshold and the balance at which the pool can be immediately deducted will revert back to $1,000.

Small Business Information Campaign The Government provided $15 million to the Department of the Treasury over two years from 2016–17 to undertake a small business information campaign to educate the small business community about what programs and support are available to assist them. The campaign was launched in April 2017.

The programs featured in the information campaign include: • Cutting the company tax rate to 27.5%, phasing in from 1 July 2016, and to 25% by 2026–27; • Increasing the unincorporated tax discount to 8% from 1 July 2016 and to 16% by 1 July 2026; • Extending the Instant Assets Write-Offs program to businesses with a turnover of up to $10 million per annum; • Fixing competition laws (Section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010); • Cutting red tape by $5.8 billion per year to date; and • Delivering Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Japan and China.

THE Building Better Regions Fund will support the construction of community infrastructure and build the capacity of regional areas.

Regional Growth Fund The Government will provide $472.2 million over four years from 2017–18 to establish the Regional Growth Fund.

The Regional Growth Fund will include $272.2 million to provide grants of $10 million or more for major transformational projects that support longterm economic growth and create jobs in regions undergoing structural adjustment.

In addition, $200 million will be provided to the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) to support the construction of community infrastructure and build the capacity of regional areas. This investment increases the Government’s commitment to BBRF to $497.7 million.

472.2 million Will be provided by the Government to establish the Regional Growth Fund

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YOUR BUSINESS

THE Skilling Australians Fund will prioritise apprenticeships and traineeships in regional and rural areas.

Skilling Australians Fund levy From March 2018, businesses that employ foreign workers on certain skilled visas will be required to pay a levy that will provide revenue for the Skilling Australians Fund (above).

Businesses with turnover of less than $10Â million per year will be required to make an upfront payment of $1,200 per visa per year for each employee on a Temporary Skill Shortage visa and make a one-off payment of $3,000 for each employee being sponsored for a permanent Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa or a permanent Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa.

457 Visa

Skilling Australians Fund

The Government will abolish the Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visa and replace it with a new Temporary Skill Shortage visa.

The Government will provide $1.5 billion over four years from 2017–18 to establish a permanent Skilling Australians Fund (the Fund) to support the skilling of Australian workers. The Fund will prioritise apprenticeships and traineeships for occupations in high demand, occupations with a reliance on skilled migration pathways, industries and sectors of future growth, trade apprenticeships, and apprenticeships and traineeships in regional and rural areas.

The new visa will comprise two streams: a short-term stream allowing entry for up to two years and a medium-term stream allowing entry for up to four years.

The visa application charges will be increased from the current $1,060 per primary 457 visa to $1,150 per primary visa for the short-term stream and $2,400 per primary visa for the medium-term stream.

Further information can be found on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website.

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1.5 billion Will be provided by the Government to establish to establish a permanent Skilling Australians Fund

Businesses with turnover of $10 million or more per year will be required to make an upfront payment of $1,800 per visa year for each employee on a Temporary Skill Shortage visa and make a one-off payment of $5,000 for each employee being sponsored for a permanent Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa or a permanent Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa.

The levy will replace the current training benchmark financial obligations for employers of workers on Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visas, which are being abolished, and permanent Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) Direct Entry stream visas.

MORE INFORMATION To access full budget documents, visit: www.budget.gov.au

We work for you, not the insurer Centrewest Insurance Brokers have partnered with vegetablesWA, to provide you with excellent and responsive service as your Insurance Brokers.

Whether you’re a small or large grower operation, we help you review and manage risks on your property. Our service is personal, offering you an insurance package that is tailor-made to suit your specific requirements. Our package will provide you with financial protection against the most probable insurable events, through to those less likely, giving you peace of mind.

Types of insurance available: Farm Pack Crop Insurance Workers’ Compensation Corporate Travel Professional Indemnity

Management Liability Cyber Risk & Liability Caravan Insurance Boat Insurance Home Building &/or Contents Insurance

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Growers who participated in the pilot program received a reduction in premium of between 10% and 40%!

Contact Gavin Statham today to review your insurance.

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YOUR BUSINESS

Who gets skin cancer?

Why men are at greater risk than women Australia has some of the highest skin cancer rates in the world.

In fact at least two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70. Skin cancer is also the most common type of cancer in Australia, with data showing that of all the Australians living with cancer in 2011–12 nearly one in three had skin cancer.

INCREASED involvement in outdoor leisure activities such as fishing, sport and socialising increases the risk in men.

WOMEN have 1 in 24 chance of being diagnosed with melanoma before the age of 85.

MEN have 1 in 14 chance of being diagnosed with melanoma before the age of 85.

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The risk is higher in men than in women too, with 70% of men likely to be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70 compared to 58% of women. Sadly the mortality rate is also higher for men who make up 69% of skin cancer deaths.

The rates for melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer are also higher in men, with men having one in 14 chance of being diagnosed with melanoma before the age of 85, whereas women have a one in 24 chance.

One reason that men are at higher risk is because of the greater percentage of men performing outdoor work. If fact it is estimated that around 200 melanomas and 34,000 non-melanoma skin cancers each year are caused by occupational exposure in Australia. It is estimated that outdoor workers receive between five and ten times more UV exposure each year than indoor workers, greatly increasing the risk of both basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC).

YOUR BUSINESS

Others reasons for the higher risk in men can be the increased involvement in outdoor leisure activities such as fishing, sport and socialising combined with inconsistent sun protection practices.

However it is never too late to reduce your risk of skin cancer, both at work and during leisure time.

• Firstly understand when you are at risk by using the UV index. Any time the UV level is 3 or above, you require sun protection. Check out www.UVDaily. com.au for more information. And if you work outdoors most days, you probably want to consider using sun protection on all days regardless of the UV level due to the cumulative effect of UV radiation.

THE rates for melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, are higher in men.

Melanoma

Total

• Finally make sure that you check your skin regularly to see if there are any changes. Early detection is the key to reducing the impact of skin cancer, so checking your skin regularly and ensuring that you waste no time in having anything suspicious checked by your doctor could really be the difference between a good or bad outcome.

Skin cancer is almost entirely preventable, and each of us has the power to control the risk by choosing to employ sun protection measures and regularly checking our skin for changes.

When you are at work or enjoying your leisure time check the UV index, and if it is 3 or above, make sure you use robust sun protection measures in order to reduce your risk of skin cancer in the future.

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For more information about sun protection or skin cancer go to www.uvdaily.com.au, or email us at sunsmart@cancerwa.asn.au.

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0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0

• Secondly make sure that you are consistent with your sun protection and don’t just rely on sunscreen which can easily rub or sweat off. Get some lightweight long sleeved cotton shirts and pants which have a UPF 50+ rating to give you the highest level of sun protection as well as a good quality broad brimmed, bucket or legionnaire style hat.

Year FIGURE 1 Mortality rates in Australia 1982 to 2016 Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

TheThe UV index UV Index:

11+ EXTREME 8-10 VERY HIGH 6-7 HIGH 3-5 MODERATE 1-2 LOW Extra protection.

Extra protection.

Protection required.

Protection required.

No protection required.

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YOUR BUSINESS

Horticulture Code of Conduct raises dispute resolution questions

BY DI GRAHAM SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

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YOUR BUSINESS

While the changes to the Horticulture Code of Conduct recently introduced by the Australian Government will bring some improvements for the industry, the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) believes more could have been done to improve the dispute resolution mechanism.

On the 1 April 2017, changes to the Code are expected to make compliance easier by providing greater guidance to those operating under it, removing unnecessary regulations and allowing growers and traders more flexibility in their trading relationships.

“The SBDC dispute resolution service, which has been operating in Western Australia since 2011, is provided at no or low cost and is designed for small business owners and operators seeking to resolve commercial disputes,” Mr Hasselbacher said.

This should benefit the industry and result in a more sustainable and productive horticulture sector however, according to the SBDC, the one area still requiring some improvement is the dispute resolution mechanism.

“We focus on the speedy resolution of issues, while preserving ongoing business relationships.

SBDC Director of Policy and Advocacy, Martin Hasselbacher, says the SBDC advocated for more substantive changes to the dispute resolution provisions in the Code when it was reviewed in 2015.

“Our suggested changes were supported by the independent reviewers who recommended the Horticulture Mediation Advisor be replaced by an improved system that included faster, more easily accessible, independent expert conciliation, provided on-site,” Mr Hasselbacher said.

CHANGES to the Code are expected to make compliance easier by providing greater guidance to those operating under it.

“While the Australian Government did not make changes to the dispute resolution provisions of the Code, the option is still available for growers and traders to establish their own dispute resolution procedures as part of their horticulture produce agreements.

“In light of this decision, and with more contracts being brought under the Code’s coverage, the SBDC is encouraging growers and traders to review the dispute resolution provisions in their agreements and ensure they include fair and effective processes that reflect the nature of their trading relationships.”

The SBDC offers a unique dispute resolution service that can be incorporated into horticulture produce agreements.

Although unable to offer onsite conciliation for disputes, the SBDC is able to provide dispute resolution assistance for contractual disputes, non-payment or non-performance of goods and services, as well as issues relating to fair trading, competition and misuse of power.

“The SBDC’s dispute resolution service can be included as part of a horticulture produce agreement under the Code, or should at the very least, be kept in mind as an effective alternative.”

One of the key features of the SBDC’s dispute resolution service is the important role that preliminary advice and guidance plays in assisting parties to resolve their disputes. The service is easy to access with a simple phone call to the SBDC. The caller can speak to an experienced adviser and receive free, practical advice and guidance on relevant businessrelated topics ranging from how to pursue a debt or prepare a letter of demand, through to intensive case management and access to subsidised mediation, if required.

The SBDC also provides a range of advisory services including information about the Australian Consumer Law regarding unfair contract terms and small business contracts, as well as advice on steps you can follow if you believe there are terms in your contract that unfairly benefit the other party.

MORE INFORMATION Call the SBDC on 13 12 49 or visit the website: www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au.

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A guide for business

How the Horticulture Code

A merchant must pay you for fruit and vegetables within the time the HPA says they must pay you.

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YOUR BUSINESS

If you’re a farmer growing fruit or vegetables and sell through an agent or to a merchant, there’s a law that says you must have a written contract. It’s called the Horticulture Code of Conduct (Code).

The Code also says that this contract must include certain things, like how price is calculated and when you get paid.

Having a written contract protects you.

It details what you and the agent or merchant can and can’t do. This creates transparency around your relationship with the agent or merchant. The Code also sets out a way for the parties to try to resolve disputes.

The Code details when agents or merchants must pay you and how they must treat you.

If someone breaks certain parts of the Code, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) can ask a court to issue a penalty.

The Code: • Requires growers and traders to have a contract called a horticulture produce agreement (HPA) and applies to all HPAs • Obliges all parties to deal in good faith • Obliges merchants to explain how price will be calculated • Includes penalties for breaching certain sections of the Code • Requires you, agents and merchants to keep certain records.

Who the Horticulture Code applies to The Horticulture Code applies to transactions between: • growers of fruit and vegetables, and • traders of fruit and vegetables.

The Code covers fruit and vegetables that are unprocessed. This includes mushrooms and other edible fungi, nuts, herbs and other edible plants but does not include nursery products. The Code calls these things ‘Horticulture Produce’.

The Code calls you, the person who grows the fruit and vegetables, a grower.

The Code calls agents and merchants ‘traders’. A trader cannot act as both an agent and a merchant under the one HPA. An agent is a person who sells fruit and vegetables on your behalf for a commission or a fee.

A merchant is a person who buys your fruit and vegetables to resell them.

The Code does not apply to a merchant or a grower supplying a merchant who: • buys fruit and vegetables for export • buys fruit and vegetables to sell directly to consumers (for example, a supermarket) • buys fruit and vegetables to process them (for example, to turn tomatoes into sauce).

THE Horticulture Code of Conduct covers fruit and vegetables that are unprocessed including herbs and other edible plants.

Documented terms of trade The Code says that all traders have to publish and make publicly available a document setting out the general terms on which they are prepared to trade with growers. Typically this would cover things like delivery requirements, quality requirements, when deliveries can be rejected and when you will be paid.

Horticulture produce agreements A trader and a grower can only trade in fruit and vegetables if they enter into a contract called a HPA. Traders must trade as an agent or a merchant under a single HPA. They can’t trade as both.

A HPA must be in writing. You can accept one by either signing or by accepting a written notice of offer in writing (such as by email).

Under the Code your HPA must include: • how you are to deliver your fruit and vegetables • under what circumstances the trader can reject your fruit and vegetables • any quantity and quality requirements • the FreshSpecs Produce Specifications or other specifications used to determine quality • if a trader plans to pool horticulture produce, the quality requirements of the produce to be pooled • when the trader must pay you • whether an agent will pursue bad debts for you • how price (merchant) or commission (agent) will be calculated.

If you have an existing written HPA signed before 1 April 2017, you have until 1 April 2018 to make sure it includes the things the Code says it should include.

This includes all HPAs entered into prior to 15 December 2006 when the original Code was introduced. If a HPA is changed before 1 April 2018, the whole Code will apply from the date it is changed.

Some parts of the Code will apply to all HPAs from 1 April 2017. These parts include the obligation to deal in good faith and the dispute resolution procedure.

Use the information in this overview and on the ACCC website to ensure your HPAs follow the Code.

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YOUR BUSINESS

Traders must also make a written record of the name of all growers and traders they deal with. Growers must make a written record of all traders they deal with.

These records must be kept by traders and growers for six years from the day the record is made.

Dispute resolution GROWERS must make a written record of all traders they deal with. These records must be kept for six years from the day the record is made.

Trader obligations A trader must: • accept fruit and vegetables delivered under a HPA unless the HPA allows the trader to reject the fruit and vegetables • exercise all reasonable care and skill in handling and storing fruit and vegetables owned by you.

A merchant must pay you for fruit and vegetables within the time the HPA says they must pay you. If they don’t, you can, after giving written notice, stop deliveries or end the HPA. An agent must: • pay you the price they get for your fruit and vegetables, but can keep any commissions, fees and extra costs you have agreed to in the HPA

the price has not been agreed before delivery and the merchant is to perform a service —— at the time the grower and merchant agree on a price — if the price or a method or formula for calculating the price has not been agreed before delivery and the merchant is not providing a service.

Cooling-off period If the HPA is for 90 days or more, or the HPA does not set out a term, either party may end the HPA in writing within 14 days of entering into the agreement, or within a period (of seven days or more) agreed by the parties.

Record keeping Under the Code you must keep certain types of records for at least six years.

If you and a trader disagree over a HPA, you can resolve the dispute using any process you and the trader want to.

However, the Code sets out a dispute resolution process. If either you or the trader commences this process, you must both participate in it.

You and the trader must first attempt to resolve the dispute. If you and the trader cannot resolve the dispute after three weeks, then either of you can ask a mediator to help you.

You and the trader must each pay half the costs of the mediator as well as your own costs of attending the mediation, unless you agree otherwise.

The ACCC’s role The ACCC regulates the Code and is responsible for ensuring people understand it and comply with it. The ACCC can seek penalties or issue infringement notices if certain sections of the Code are breached.

• act in your best interests and sell your fruit and vegetables on an arm’slength basis.

• any HPA they enter into

If you want to know what a HPA should look like, we have prepared some examples which are available on the ACCC website.

• any written notice by the trader of the offer or acceptance of a HPA

MORE INFORMATION

Produce ownership

• any written termination by the trader of a HPA

More information on new requirements under the Code is available on the ACCC website.

• any notice of rejection of horticulture produce, including reasons for the rejection

CONTACTS

Ownership of fruit and vegetables under a HPA passes: • directly from you to the third-party buyer once the agent sells the fruit and vegetables, in an agent transaction

Traders must keep:

• statements for each reporting period given to a grower.

• in a merchant transaction: —— on delivery of the fruit and vegetables to the merchant — if the price or a method or formula for calculating the price has been agreed before delivery —— at the time the agreed service is completed — if the price or a method or formula for calculating

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Growers must keep: • any HPA they enter into • any written notice by the grower of the offer or acceptance of a HPA • any written termination by the grower of a HPA.

ACCC Infocentre: 1300 302 502 Website: www.accc.gov.au/horticulturecode Small business helpline: 1300 302 021 Horticulture Mediation Advisor Phone: 1800 475 467 Email: adviser@horticulturecode.com.au Website: www.horticulturecode.com.au ISBN: 978 1 920702 06 9 © Australian Competition and Consumer Commission 2017 under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence publishing.unit@accc.gov.au.

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“In the compost treated crops I have not used the fumigants metham sodium or Telone® [1,3 dichloropropene] before a crop. I have also reduced the fertiliser rate by 10%. I reduced the fertiliser rate slowly, over several crops, as the amount of compost in the soil increased with each application” said Sam

Do you want to gain the same benefits as Sam?

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“You have to build your soils up. Many growers are used to fertilisers with a quick action but compost doesn’t work like that at all. Expect some benefits after the first couple of years but you have to apply compost consistently, before every crop. There is no benefit in applying a large amount of compost all at once and then not doing it for a few years.“ said Sam

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YOUR BUSINESS

GROWCOM’S initiative aims at improving the reputation of how the horticulture industry treats its workers.

Growcom new initiative Improve farm working conditions Growcom has launched an initiative aimed at improving the reputation of how the horticulture industry treats its workers. It rolled out its Fair Farms Initiative at Hort Connections 2017 in Adelaide.

Chief Advocate, Rachel Mackenzie, said the Fair Farms Initiative was sorely needed.

NEW Fair Farms Initiative

“While the majority of growers do treat their workers fairly and are compliant with workplace legislation, sadly, the actions of a few have attracted significant media coverage, tarnishing the reputation of the industry as a whole,” Ms Mackenzie said.

“To combat this, Growcom will launch its Fair Farms Initiative.”

The focus of the Fair Farms Initiative aims to ensure growers not only have the tools and knowledge to treat their workers fairly, but can also demonstrate that to their customers and the wider community.

“The initiative is significantly funded through the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Community Engagement Grants Program and has a focus on vulnerable workers, but it is our goal that the program will benefit all workers and growers in the longer term,” Ms Mackenzie said.

ONE of the main components of the Fair Farms Initiative includes regional seminars throughout Australia.

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YOUR BUSINESS

The Fair Farms Initiative has five main components:

Introducing the Fair Farms Initiative Team

1. The rollout of the Hort360 Workplace Relations best management practice (BMP) module nationally over the next four years, to enable growers to conduct a confidential risk assessment of their current practice and identify areas for improvement.

• D onna Mogg — Horticulture Workplace Relations Specialist

2. The development, through Freshcare, of a voluntary third-party audited certification for growers to enable them to demonstrate compliance.

3. Targeted regional seminars throughout Australia focusing on key areas of non-compliance.

4. A series of informative articles on key workplace relations issues for publication in an array of industry magazines and other regional and industry publications.

• Annabel Hutch — Growcom Workplace Relations Advisor • Rachel Mackenzie — Growcom Chief Advocate • Clare Hamilton-Bate — Freshcare Executive Officer • Jane Muller — Growcom Senior Project & Policy Officer MORE INFORMATION For more general information, visit: www.growcom.com.au/fairfarmsinitiative, for detailed information please contact Workplace Relations Advisor Annabel Hutch on (07) 3620 3844 or email the team at wrteam@growcom.com.au

5. Development of a pathway to qualifications in Human Resources for horticulture employers.

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Enforcement of the

Horticulture Code of Conduct Information for traders THE Horticulture Code of Conduct applies to transactions between growers and traders of horticulture produce.

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YOUR BUSINESS

Are you buying fruit and vegetables from farmers to resell in Australia?

You can find more information about your obligations at www.accc.gov.au/ horticulturecode.

Horticulture traders must be aware of their obligations under the new Horticulture Code of Conduct which began on 1 April 2017, replacing the old Horticulture Code.

It applies to transactions between growers and traders of horticulture produce (i.e. unprocessed fruit, vegetables, nuts, herbs and other edible plants). Traders can be either agents or merchants.

Transition period

You are an agent if you facilitate the sale of horticulture produce on behalf of a grower for a commission or a fee.

You are a merchant if you buy a grower’s horticulture produce to resell it in Australia at a wholesale level in an unprocessed form.

If you are an agent or merchant, you must comply with the Code when dealing with growers.

Key changes Much of the Code remains the same as before. As before traders must publish their terms of trade, enter into horticulture produce agreements (HPAs) before trading with growers, and ensure growers are paid within the agreed timeframe.

But there are a few key differences you need to be aware of. The Code now: • applies to all agreements, even those entered into before 15 December 2006 • imposes financial penalties for certain breaches • requires traders to keep a number of records for at least six years, including the name of every grower you deal with • introduces an obligation on all parties to deal with each other in good faith.

The Code doesn’t define good faith.

Its meaning in the Code comes from what Courts have decided it means over time. Courts have found that acting in ‘good faith’ requires you to act reasonably and not to exercise your powers arbitrarily or for some irrelevant purpose.

There is a transition period to allow the industry to adjust existing agreements to be compliant with the Code. Your current trading arrangements will affect how long you have to make your HPAs compliant with the Code.

There is no transition period for a number of obligations under the Code including: • dealing in good faith • keeping certain records • the dispute resolution procedure.

This means you must comply with these parts of the Code immediately if you trade in horticulture produce.

Transition period for my agreements I am currently trading in Horticulture produce without an agreement.

You do not have a transition period. You must comply with the new Code and enter a compliant HPA before trading in horticulture produce.

I am trading under written HPAs that comply with the old Code.

You have until 1 April 2018 to amend or enter into new HPAs that are compliant with the new Code.

Until you amend or enter into new HPAs, your existing HPAs must continue to comply with the old Code.

If you amend your existing HPAs or enter into new HPAs prior to 1 April 2018, the entire new Code will apply to you from the date you amend your existing HPAs or enter new HPAs.

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I was not required to comply with the old Code because I traded under a written agreement entered into before 15 December 2006.

You have until 1 April 2018 to enter into HPAs that are compliant with the new Code.

If you amend your existing written agreement or enter into new HPAs before 1 April 2018, the entire new Code will apply to you from the day you amend the agreements or enter new HPAs.

ACCC enforcement approach While the industry is adjusting to the new Code, the ACCC will be focusing on educating growers and traders about what the changes mean. However, one of our priorities is to ensure small businesses receive the protections of industry codes.

We may still pursue breaches of the Code where there is: • a blatant or deliberate breach of the law • substantial consumer or small business detriment • likely to be a worthwhile educative or deterrent effect from our intervention.

The ACCC can initiate investigations from complaints we receive, or from information we have gathered ourselves.

What are the consequences of non-compliance?

The Code now contains penalty provisions. Not complying with a penalty provision could result in the ACCC taking court action seeking a financial penalty for the breach, or issuing an infringement notice.

PENALTIES can reach $54,000 for each penalty provision breach.

ONE of our priorities is to ensure small businesses receive the protections of industry codes.

Infringement notices The ACCC can issue infringement notices ($9,000 for body corporates, and $1,800 for individuals) where we have reasonable grounds to believe that a person has breached one of the Code’s penalty provisions. The ACCC can issue an infringement notice for each alleged breach. We are more likely to use an infringement as opposed to court action if: • the conduct relates to isolated or nonsystemic instances of non-compliance • there have been lower levels of harm • the facts are not in dispute.

Infringement notices are a way of resolving the ACCC’s concerns and avoiding legal proceedings. Paying it is not an admission of guilt. If you choose not to pay the infringement notice, we may decide to institute proceedings against you.

Financial penalties We can seek penalties up to $54,000 for each penalty provision breach. Ultimately a court will determine the final penalty (if any) imposed.

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Horticulture Code of Conduct • Frequently Asked Questions about the new Code are on the website at: Horticulture Code FAQs (www.accc.gov.au/update/ horticulture-code-faq) • To make it as straightforward as possible for you the ACCC has produced sample Horticulture Produce Agreements, depending on whether they sell their produce to an agent or a merchant (as defined in the Code): —— Sample Horticulture Produce Agreement: Merchant (www.accc.gov.au/publications/ example-horticulture-produceagreement-merchant) —— Sample Horticulture Produce Agreement: Agent (www.accc.gov.au/publications/ example-horticulture-produceagreement-agent) • The full range of ACCC information is at: Horticulture code guidance materials

YOUR BUSINESS

The ACCC takes court action where it considers litigation is the most appropriate way to achieve its enforcement and compliance objectives.

MORE INFORMATION • Our website: www.accc.gov.au/ horticulturecode • ACCC Small Business Helpline: 1300 302 021

• Not dealing in good faith

• Subscribe to our dedicated Agriculture email alert network at www.accc.gov.au/media/ subscriptions

• Trading without a Code-compliant HPA

• Small business online education program: www.accc.gov.au/ccaeducation

• Traders failing to publish a Codecompliant terms of trade

© Australian Competition and Consumer Commission 2017 under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence publishing.unit@accc.gov.au.

Penalty provisions include:

• Not keeping adequate records, such as the names of growers you deal with.

Compliance checks The ACCC has the power to ask for information or documents you must keep, produce or generate to check your compliance with the Code. This includes your terms of trade, HPAs, and the names of growers you’ve dealt with.

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Be prepared managing risks in your business

BY DI GRAHAM SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Despite Australia being prone to environmental extremes such as droughts, floods, fires and storms on a regular basis, research by the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) reveals that fewer than a quarter of small business owners have business continuity plans to mitigate disasters.

What would you do if your business was flooded, or ravaged by fire, with equipment, vehicles, computers and furniture destroyed? Would you be able to continue working while your office, factory or farm was repaired or restored? What if your work vehicle loaded with equipment was involved in an accident, written off and your equipment lost or damaged?

What if you, as the business owner and manager were to fall ill, or be injured in an accident. Could your staff continue without you? Do you have a staff member or family member who could step into your role and take over as the manager? What if a key staff member suddenly departs or is injured or unwell?

A business continuity plan can be as simple as a comprehensive insurance policy, a list of emergency numbers and important documents stored in a safe place. Alternatively, it can be very comprehensive ensuring full back-up of all documentation stored off-site, communications and marketing plans, and alternative production and supply options sourced and ready to go at minimal notice.

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Disasters can cause expensive disruption to a small business, so the quicker you can get back to work, the less expensive and disruptive it will be.

Being prepared can give you peace of mind if the worst should happen and your business is faced with a disruption of any kind, large or small.

To help small business owners avoid or limit damage from a disaster, the SBDC has created a Business Continuity Planning Checklist as a guide to developing plans specific to small and medium sized businesses, and it’s suitable for any type of business.

IDENTIFY the possible risks to your business including the illness or injury of a key staff member.

Manage your risks things can and will go wrong

YOUR BUSINESS

Here are some things to think about: • Identify risks: Identify the possible risks to your business — fire at your premises, the closure of a major supplier or the illness or death of a key staff member.

• Check your insurance: Are you adequately covered in the event of a disaster? Keep a copy of your current policy in a safe off-site location, as well as in a handy position on-site.

• Critical activities: Which activities are critical to the success of your business and how will they be maintained in short and long term situations?

• Location: Identify another workplace that could be used while the damage to your business premises is repaired.

IDENTIFY another workplace that could be used if your business premises is damaged.

• Cashflow and cash reserves: Identify ways to access cash reserves (keep in mind that facilities may be limited in a crisis). How will a downturn in your business affect your cashflow, long term or short term?

• Distribution and transport: Identify alternative transport/distribution routes and make arrangements with suppliers, couriers or freight handlers.

• IT: Consider how to strengthen your IT infrastructure to minimise loss of data and maintain contact with customers.

Always back-up your business databases and other commercial information.

• Marketing: Develop strategies for advising and maintaining contact with customers in the event of a disaster and for winning them back afterwards.

• Succession planning: Have processes and procedures documented to ensure others can easily cover for injured or ill employees. Identify who will take over in the event of a loss of managerial personnel.

• Accessibility: Make copies of the business continuity plan, keep it updated and locate copies on-site and off-site. Inform staff of the location of the plans, and ensure they are familiar with the details.

Things can and will go wrong. Being prepared for all contingencies is the basis of good business planning.

MORE INFORMATION To help identify risks in your business and prepare a risk management plan for dealing with unexpected events, contact the Small Business Development Corporation on 13 12 49 or visit our website at: smallbusiness.wa.gov.au and search for ‘risk management’.

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Single Touch Payroll

BY REBECCA BLACKMAN FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

Single Touch Payroll is a government initiative to streamline business reporting obligations.

Employers will be able to report salary or wages, pay as you go (PAYG) withholding and super information to us from their payroll solution, at the same time they pay their employees. There will also be more options for completing tax and super forms online.

Employers with 20 or more employees must start reporting through Single Touch Payroll from 1 July 2018.

Compulsory for businesses with 20 or more employees

EMPLOYERS with 20 or more employees must start reporting through Single Touch Payroll from 1 July 2018.

Single Touch Payroll is a government initiative to streamline how employers report their tax and superannuation information to the ATO. Employers will be able to report salary or wages, PAYG withholding and super information directly to us at the same time as they pay their employees.

The business will need to do a headcount on 1 April 2018. If they have 20 or more employees on that date, they will need to report through a payroll solution that enables Single Touch Payroll from 1 July 2018.

Reporting through Single Touch Payroll means that when they complete the normal payroll process, your employees' PAYG withholding and super guarantee information will be sent to the ATO directly from your payroll solution.

When the business pay your employees' super guarantee contributions to the funds, the business will send the ATO the same details that are sent to your super fund.

Key dates to remember 1 April

2018 If you have a headcount of 20 or more employees, you will need to report through Single Touch Payroll 1 July

2018 Employers with 20 or more employees as at 1 April 2018 will need to start reporting through Single Touch Payroll When the business reports through Single Touch Payroll they won’t be required to provide employees with a payment summary covering the same information at the end of financial year. The business will need to finalise your Single Touch Payroll reporting and notify the ATO by 14 July each year.

The ATO will make information available to employees and their tax agents through ATO Online and will pre-fill each employee’s tax return.

The business will have the option to invite your employees to complete their tax file number (TFN) declaration and superannuation standard choice forms online.

MORE INFORMATION For more information see the ATO website www.ato.gov.au

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YOUR

MARKET

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2017 AUSVEG

Reverse Trade Mission

BY CLAIRE MCCLELLAND MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, VEGETABLESWA

As part of the AUSVEG Reverse Trade Mission, 30 international buyers from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait gained a unique insight into the Western Australian vegetable industry.

DELEGATES represented international supermarket chains and large fresh produce importing businesses from across Asia and the Middle East.

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Delegates represented international supermarket chains and large fresh produce importing businesses from across Asia and the Middle East.

The Reverse Trade Mission has been run by AUSVEG for four years, with the delegation making its first trip to WA earlier in May. During their time in WA, the delegation visited a handful of WA farms, allowing buyers to see first-hand the scale and quality of produce that is produced in WA. In addition to visiting farms in the region, the delegation also attended a networking event co-hosted by AUSVEG and vegetablesWA. Held at the Print Hall in Perth, this event gave growers an opportunity to network one on one with buyers.

This event was well attended across industry with representatives from the Citrus, Pome and Strawberry industries also in attendance.

The 2017 Reverse Trade Mission will then head to the Hort Connections conference held in Adelaide. During this program, several Western Australian growers are set to display their produce to buyers during the annual Produce Display event.

Forming and strengthening relationships with buyers in export markets is critical to long term export success; this year’s trade mission and associated activities are an important part of the industry led efforts to increase Australia’s vegetable exports.

YOUR MARKET

Asia Fruit Logistica Hong Kong

6–8 September

THE delegation visited a handful of WA farms, allowing buyers to see first-hand the scale and quality of produce that is produced in WA.

The Reverse Trade Mission will be followed by other key events in the trade space including Asia Fruit Logistica, to be held in Hong Kong from 6–8 September 2017.

MORE INFORMATION Contact Michael Coote at AUSVEG on michael. coote@ausveg.com.au or Claire McClelland Market Development Manager claire. mcclelland@vegetableswa.com.au

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Protecting your brand is protecting your integrity AUSTRALIA has built a reputation as a clean green producer of food, and markets in Asia are screaming out for our products.

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YOUR MARKET

BY FRESHPLAZA MATTHEW RUSSELL

An asset management specialist has warned any business wanting to enter the rapidly expanding Asian market to ensure they have control over their product throughout the supply chain.

Speaking at a Hort Connections seminar, Watermark says Australia has built a reputation as a clean green producer of food, and markets in Asia are screaming out for our products. But its Patent and Trademarks Attorney, Dr Renee White has revealed it has opened the door for fraud and counterfeiting by people wanting into cash in on Australia’s brands.

“Maintaining your integrity of brand is very, very important,” she said. “You want to maintain your high quality production that is what we are known for. You want to make sure that your delicious fresh produce is actually what the consumer is getting in the Asian market. We do see it time and time again that produce is getting switched at the docks, or they put your logo on someone else’s packaging.”

Dr White says investing in new forms of packaging technology and stickers to track products is a worthwhile investment to save money in the long run. But so is basic research from the beginning, which she admits some businesses still do not do.

She encourages them to gain a detailed understanding of the market they are entering into, as well as studying trademarks in every country they are supplying, and whether they have the freedom to use it in that country.

“Even though we get people to think about this at the beginning, you’d be surprised at the amount of emergency calls I have got with people saying I’ve got two tonnes of carrots on the dock and I have just worked out the packaging may not be suitable because someone else may have it in the marketplace,” Dr White said.

DR Renee White Speaking at a Hort Connections seminar.

It may even be necessary to create two separate brands for the same product, if it is entering the same product into different retail chains in the same country, who want the right of sale to a brand exclusively. She also warns against changing a trademark, and not using it in its registered form, even if it is suggested by marketing professionals.

Under laws in many countries non-usage of exact branding could open the door for third party challenges, which could see a trademark be lost.

“Your marketing team may come back and says we have changed, we have just got some input and the brand is not doing well, or we don’t have enough room on the packaging to fit the entire word or logo so we are going to abbreviate it,” the Patent and Trademarks Attorney said.

“Even though you think it’s only a slight modification just to abbreviate, and use two instead of one, you need to make sure if you change it you update your trademark registration.”

Dr White also urges against complacency, saying that when a company rebrands or a product evolves, it should go through the research and development stages again to get the most up-to-date facts about the market.

MORE INFORMATION Contact Dr Renee White (Watermark) phone: (03) 9819 1664, email mail@watermark.com.au or go to www.watermark.com.au Originally published on Freshplaza © www.freshplaza.com

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61% of Australian consumers bought organic fruit and vegetables last year.

Organic fruit and vegetable popularity

BY SHANNON TWOMEY THE WEEKLY TIMES

Australia’s organic sector is expected to be worth $2 billion by next year as demand for chemical-free fruit and vegetables continues to increase.

A recent Australian Organic report found organic packaged foods and beverages were worth $696 million in the domestic consumer market last year, an increase of 5.4% on 2015.

Australian Organic chairman Andrew Monk said Australia has more land under certified organic management than any other country, at 27 million hectares.

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“Australia has 53% of the world’s organic farmland and 7% of Australian farmland is now under certified organic management,” Dr Monk said.

“Global organic farmland and production volumes are not keeping up with global demand, meaning there is even greater growth potential for Australian producers, processors and handlers.”

The Australian Organic report said last year 37% of certified producers in Australia were fruit growers, 36% were vegetable growers and 30% beef farmers.

The report found 61% of Australian consumers bought organic fruit and vegetables last year, up from 57% in 2014, while 43% of consumers bought organic red meat in 2016, up from 35% in 2014.

Dr Monk said supermarkets remained the dominant outlet for organic shopping, but there had been a shift toward outlets such as greengrocers, farmers’ markets and organics shops.

The report also found organic export volumes increased 17% last year.

Australia’s beef is in greatest demand, accounting for nearly 20% of all organic exports last year.

Organic exports to all markets rose and new markets opened up in Central Asia and South America.

According to IBISWorld, organic farming has been one of the economy’s bestperforming industries in the past five years.

Revenue is forecast to reach $919.2 million in 2016–17, up 7.2% on the previous year.

MORE INFORMATION Originally published online: www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/ organic-fruit-and-vegetable-popularity-onthe-rise/news-story/32c717d0fa2cf9650296b 71cc3c3c22c

YOUR MARKET

Pumpkin piling:

consumers take advantage of lower pumpkin prices

THE average Australian household purchased 7.1 kilograms of pumpkin in the year ending 25 March 2017.

Rich in vitamin A and betacarotene, high in fibre and potassium, and low in calories — it’s no wonder pumpkin can be found in the fridge of threein-four (75.2%) Australian households.

The average Australian household purchased 7.1 kilograms of pumpkin in the year ending 25 March 2017. Lower market prices implemented in the second half of 2016 encouraged consumers to buy more pumpkin (up 500 grams versus a year ago) while spending less at the checkout ($14.50 spent in 12 months, down $1.70).

Source: Nielsen Homescan; 52 weeks ending 25 March 2017 Copyright © 2017 The Nielsen Company

Pumpkin represents 5.9% volume share of all vegetables sold in Australia and volume sales have increased by 9%; however, the increase in consumption has come at the expense of growers with annual dollar sales of pumpkins declining by -9% driven by the fall in the price per kilogram.

The lower prices have been most appealing to existing pumpkin consumers who purchased more pumpkin per shopping occasion.

There is an opportunity to encourage trial among non-pumpkin buyers and push light buyers to purchase more. Targeting young families and young singles and couples is especially important and these demographic groups will have a direct influence on the longterm health of the pumpkin category.

MORE INFORMATION Contact Sarah McKee at Nielsen on sarah.mckee@nielsen.com

These heavier buyers (households who purchase more than six times a year) contribute close to 70% of the category volume and value, and are skewed toward primary shoppers aged over 51 years old.

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Opportunities for WA

agrifood exports in Asia Western Australian agrifood exporters now have access to critical information to broaden their commercial potential and support their future export ambitions.

The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) is working with the WA agrifood sector to compete for new export opportunities and capitalise on growing demand from emerging markets in Asia.

Through DAFWA’s Asian Market Success project, WA agrifood businesses will have the confidence to invest in Asian markets, together with support to adopt new business models to enable their businesses to grow and diversify and provide a platform for our export market to remain internationally competitive.

The project has commissioned two market research reports, prepared by market research company Coriolis which have shown significant insights.

In March 2016, the project released the Target Market Opportunities in Asia for WA Premium Products report, identifying 20 growth opportunities in premium Asian markets, covering a range of products including avocados and citrus.

The report identified that WA is well-positioned to expand ‘avocado’ and ‘Orange & mandarin’ exports to Asia, though focus on key high value markets is required.

Western Australia has clear opportunities for avocado export share growth in select Asian markets. Research shows that Asian avocado imports are increasingly strong, with import value growth being driven by rising tonnage across moderate average FOB (free-on-board) price per kilogram growth. Japan has been identified as the largest market for avocados.

Research also noted that ‘Oranges & mandarin’ imports are rising, with import value growth being driven by expanding tonnage and increasing average FOB (free-on-board) prices.

Additionally ‘Oranges & mandarins’ go to a wider number of target markets, with no single country predominating.

JAPAN has been identified as the largest market for avocados.

Download a copy at... agric.wa.gov.au/ asianmarket success

WA Grower WINTER 2017

The Investment Ready: WA Agribusiness report, released in November 2016 identified Western Australia’s agrifood sector has significant untapped potential for further growth, and is highly attractive to a wide range of investors both locally and globally.

The report provides key insights into how investors make decisions on which agribusinesses to invest in, and how they evaluate potential investment opportunities.

The Asian Market Success project has also undertaken a $3 million Grants for Asian Market Export program, which was available over two rounds in 2016 to boost export opportunities for WA’s agricultural and food products in Asian markets.

The grants program supports WA agrifood business exporters of premium products with a strong consumer focus and capable of meeting market demand, to develop export relationships with international partners and pursue those market opportunities.

The export grants will directly support the repositioning of agrifood businesses for international competitiveness.

MORE INFORMATION For further information about the Asian Market Success project, to find out who has been awarded grants or to access a copy of the Target Market Opportunities report or Investment ready report, please visit: agric.wa.gov.au/asianmarketsuccess

DAFWA’s Asian Market Success project is made possible by the State Government's Royalties for Regions investment.

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WA has opportunities to support export growth for ‘Oranges & mandarin’ across a range of Asian markets.

Department of Agriculture and Food

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Clause Pacific - P.O. Box 475 - Bulleen - VIC 3105 - AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 (0)3 8850 5400 - Fax: +61 (0)3 8850 5444

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YOUR MARKET

Market access update

Tomato potato psyllid complex The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) is the lead agency in the emergency control and containment measures for tomato potato psyllid (TPP).

This update as at 12th May 2017 contains information specific to those industries affected by TPP and Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) interstate trade movement restrictions (see page 14 for more information). For more general information on TPP or for intrastate movement advice, please visit agric.wa.gov.au/tpp

Pathway Prioritisation Risk Assessment workshop DAFWA hosted a two-day workshop in Adelaide (8 and 9 May) to discuss protocols to facilitate interstate trade and market access around tomato potato psyllid movement restrictions.

The workshop was positive and valuable with the other States agreeing in principal to support risk mitigation and treatment measures put forward by DAFWA for a range of non- host material (i.e. fruit, leafy vegetables, grains, nursery stock). These are workable for many WA growers and offer the appropriate level of protection for the other states.

Representatives from the Commonwealth and jurisdictions, Plant Health Australia, industry body AUSVEG and some local WA representatives from industry were involved in the discussions.

DAFWA has welcomed the proactive engagement during this workshop which has led to positive steps forward.

We will work with other jurisdictions and the state domestic quarantine group (SDQMA) towards ensuring these changes are implemented as quickly as possible.

DAFWA continues to work with the potato industry to seek market access for WA potato growers.

Work is also continues on field-packed vegetables, cut flowers and solanaceous nursery stock and produce.

Grain is to be removed from the restricted list.

DAFWA is determining the significant resource requirements required for the proposed protocols include additional inspectors and training industry as authorised inspection persons.

Industry is reminded that methyl bromide treatment remains an option for shipping produce to the eastern states, however it is recognised as unsuitable for many crops.

DAFWA advises industry to check specific information on treatments from the Quarantine WA Exports Office.

Email: qa@agric.wa.gov.au or phone: (08) 9334 1800.

DAFWA continues to work with the potato industry to seek market access for WA potato growers.

TPP information

agric.wa.gov.au/ tpp

Agreement was reached with the other states and the Northern Territory to work towards nationally harmonised conditions.

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In brief 1. Pome and stone fruit

4. Cut flowers

In-principle agreement for pome fruit and stone fruit to be placed in a new category and recognised as a non-TPP carrier. This means they can trade as normal, provided they are free of any green plant or leaf material. Some states will implement this immediately.

Work is being undertaken to determine if insectigas and pestigas treatment, which is used for international exports, will remove TPP and therefore enable cut flowers to be exported to other states.

2. Leafy vegetables — packhouse packed (i.e. beans, celery, cucumber, sweet corn, loose leaf lettuce, spinach)

In principle-agreement that non-host plants which are dormant (bare rooted) with no green material is allowable with no restrictions. More work is being undertaken to develop a protocol which will potentially include a general insecticide treatment and inspection.

In-principle agreement for packed leafy vegetables that have undergone washing (hydrocooling, dipped in water, roller brushers or flood spraying), targeted inspection and secure packaging can be traded.

Field packed (i.e. broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower) Protocols for field packed vegetables are still being explored.

Currently spraying options which can be applied pre-harvest are being investigated.

3. Strawberries In-principle agreement that strawberries which have been inspected by government or by an accredited person and are in secure packaging would be accepted by the other states.

Work is currently being undertaken by DAFWA to have new protocols in place before the strawberry production period starts in June.

5. Nursery stock

6. CLso host fruits such as tomatoes, capsicum, chilli and eggplants There is national agreement that host fruits such as tomatoes, capsicum, chilli and eggplants can be exported into the other states and territories as long as they have been fumigated with methyl bromide and been inspected.

(Inspection is not required for Victoria).

7. CLso host vegetables such as potatoes and host nursery stock DAFWA is continuing to work with other states and territories to achieve nationally agreed diagnostic and surveillance protocols. This will take some time.

TABLE 1 Treatment protocol for TPP Treatment

Category 1. Hosts

Product

Free of green leaf Fumigation Spray Prohibited material (Mbr) treatment

Fruit/veg Solanaceous fruit

Plants

Washing

Yes

Inspection Unresolved (more info (@600 required) piece) Yes (excl VIC)

In place

Herbs (Lamiaceae)

Yes

In place

Sweet potato

Yes

Potato (ware)

Yes

Yes

Potato (seed)

Yes

Yes

Solanaceae, Lamiaceae, Convolvulaceae

Yes

In place

In place

2. Carrier Fruit/veg Apple

Yes

In-principle

Pears

Yes

In-principle

Stonefruit

Yes

In-principle

Strawberry Packhouse packed veg

Yes

Yes

In-principle

Yes

In-principle

Infield packed veg Plant material

Yes

Nursery stock Nursery stock (dormant no green material) Cut flowers

Source: Department of Agriculture and Food, WA

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Yes

Yes

Yes

In-principle In-principle

Yes

Yes

In place

YOUR MARKET

Protocols for TPP carrier produce Following the workshop held in early May in Adelaide, work on developing protocols supporting the in-principle agreements made by the other jurisdictions has continued as a priority.

Protocols for inspection, washing and spray treatments have been developed and were sent to the other jurisdictions for approval on Monday 22 May, 2017.

These protocols will be reviewed and, if approved, each state will change their entry conditions. DAFWA will then work with growers to help them meet these protocols.

These protocols relate to the following categories; strawberries, pack house packed vegetables and non-host nursery stock.

If growers have crops that are ready for immediate export, they can apply for an import permit from the receiving state.

These permit requests are to be sent to the DAFWA Market Access team: TPPMarketAccess@agric.wa.gov.au.

An in-principle agreement for the movement of pome fruit (apples and pears) and stone fruit has been reached and we expect SA, Victoria and NSW to amend entry conditions soon.

Please check the latest interstate trade requirements in relation to plant material and produce. Full details of the entry conditions are updated on the NSW, Victorian and South Australian department websites.

MORE INFORMATION Industry contacts for growers: • vegetablesWA Phone: (08) 9481 0834 Email: office@vegetableswa.com.au • Department of Agriculture and Food, WA Marc Poole Phone: (08) 9368 3224 Email: marc.poole@agric.wa.gov.au • Pest and Disease Information Service Phone: 1800 084 881 Email: info@agric.wa.gov.au

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YOUR PRODUCTION

TOMATO POTATO PSYLLID (TPP) UPDATE — VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION

Cập nhật thông tin rầy cà cua khoai tây TPP Người dịch: Võ Thế Truyền — Chuyên viên phát triển ngành, Hiệp hội Rau cải Tây Úc.

Rầy cà chua khoai tây TPP được phát hiện lần đầu tiên ở tiểu bang Tây úc hồi tháng hai 2017 đã nhanh chóng kích hoạt một kế hoạch an ninh sinh học cấp quốc gia để đối phó.

Rầy TPP là một loài côn trùng gây hại trên cà chua, khoai tây, ớt chuông, ớt cay, dâu go-di (gọji berry), tamarillo, cà tím…gây ra thiệt hai cho sinh trưởng và năng suất của cây trồng. Loài này có thể mang vi khuẩn Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), loại vi sinh vật gây ra bệnh soc nâu “zebra chip” trên khoai tây. Hiện tại ngoài sự phát hiện rầy TPP thì chưa có phát hiện vi khuẩn nầy ở Tây Úc.

Trong 3 tháng qua bộ Nông nghiệp và thực phẩm Tây Úc (DAFWA) đã điều động 230 chuyên viên để ứng phó vấn đề này và đã thực hiện công tác đặt bẩy và tầm soát rầy khắp các khu vực trong và ngoài phạm vi Perth cũng như các vùng sản xuất hoa màu khắp tiểu bang đồng thời tìm các biện pháp ngăn chặn rầy lây lan.

DAFWA đánh giá cao về những cố gắng của các ngành cũng như cộng đồng trong hoạt động ứng phó trong khi Bộ cũng đang xem xét các biện pháp tốt nhất để quản lý loài gây hại này và hổ trợ nông dân trong thời gian tới.

ẤU trùng và thành trùng rầy tại các giai đoạn phát triển khác nhau (con nhạt màu hơn là thành trùng non ngược lại với con có màu đậm là con già hơn).

• Trên 6 tấn (30000 củ) khoai tây đã được xét nghiệm vi khuẩn

Từ khi rầy TPP được phát hiện:

Cuộc họp của nhóm công tác quản lý cấp quốc gia vào tháng 4/2017 đồng ý nhận định rằng về mặt kỹ thuật không còn khả năng tiêu diệt hoàn toàn rầy TPP. Dựa trên kết quả này DAFWA đã chuyển trọng tâm sang tìm kiếm và củng cố độ tin cậy rằng vi khuẩn CLso không có hiện diện trong rầy TPP ở Tây Úc.

• Trên 1600 hộ đã được tầm soát khắp tiểu bang WA đối với phức hợp TPP/ CLso • Đã đặt trên 10000 bẩy dính

• 5500 báo cáo thông qua chương trình MyPestGuide reports đã được ghi nhận.

Với sự hổ trợ của nhóm quản lý cấp quốc gia DAFWA đang làm việc cùng với các ngành rau quả trong tiểu bang và các đối tác trên toàn quốc về kế hoạch cho các ngành làm thế nào quản lý rầy TPP. Kế hoạch này bao gồm công tác tầm soát có trọng điểm, các phương cách thực hiện trên trang trại, quản lý chuổi cung ứng, và khôi phục việc tiếp cận thị trường xuyên bang cho các loại sản phẩm bị ảnh hưởng.

Chỉ thị vùng kiểm dịch hiện nay vẫn được duy trì để giảm thiểu sự lây tan của rầy TPP. DAFWA đang tiến hành phân tích hiệu quả của việc duy trì chỉ thị vùng kiểm dịch cùng với việc tham khảo ý kiến từ các ngành.

Các hạn chế trong thương mại xuyên bang Đã đặt trên 10000 bẩy dính.

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DAFWA đã thành lập một đội làm việc về vấn đề tiếp cận thị trường để xây dựng các qui trình và giúp thúc đẩy thương mại

YOUR PRODUCTION

TOMATO POTATO PSYLLID (TPP) UPDATE — VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION

loại “phi ký chủ” có điều kiện. Nhóm công tác tiếp cận thị trường xuyên bang đã và đang làm việc với các tiểu bang và các ngành để xem xét lại các qui định hạn chế này. Thông tin đầy đủ về các điều kiện cho nhập của các tiểu bang được cập nhật trên các trang thông tin mạnh của các bộ của các tiểu bang trên.

Các nhà buôn bán xuyên bang cũng nên liên hệ chuyên viên kiểm dịch xuất khẩu WA để kiểm chứng các yêu cầu xuất nhập khẩu.

Công tác tầm soát Trong suốt tháng năm, việc đặt bẩy dính tật trung đã đươc tiến hành trên khu vực kiểm soát thành thị để xét nghiệm vi khuẩn CLso. Xét nghiệm từng mẩu rầy TPP dính bẩy sẽ giúp củng cố độ tin cật rằng vi khuẩn nảy không có hiện diện trong WA.

A

Sắp tới công tác tầm soát của DAFWA sẽ giảm dần trong các tháng lạnh khi rầy TPP kém hoạt động hơn.

THÊM THÔNG TIN Các địa chỉ liên hệ cho nông dân: • Hiệp hội Rau cải Tây Úc (VegetablesWA) P: (08) 9481 0834 E: office@vegetableswa.com.au

B

C

Kiểm tra và báo cáo Chúng tôi yêu cầu quí vị nông dân khẩn trương kiểm tra dấu hiện của rầy trên trang trại.

Các dấu hiệu khả nghi nên được báo về cho bộ Nông nghiệp thông qua ứng dụng MyPestGuide Reporter app, www.agric.wa.gov.au/biosecurity/ mypestguide-suite hay liên hệ với Dịch vụ thông tin sâu bệnh hại của Bộ Nông nghiệp info@agric. wa.gov.au hoặc 1800 084 881.

A: Lô trái ớt chuông được đem chôn khi trang trại bị thông báo kiểm dịch.

B: Hội thảo rầy TPP tại Wanneroo.

C: Các loại thuốc khống chế rầy TPP. xuyên bang cho các sản phẩm của Tây Úc đang bị ảnh hưởng do sự phát hiện rầy TPP.

Các tiểu bang New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland và vùng lảnh thổ Northern Territory đã kích hoạt các biện pháp khống chế khẩn cấp đối với vận chuyển xuyên bang của các sản phẩm

• Hiệp hội Khoai tây Tây Úc (Potato Growers Association of WA) P: (08) 9481 0834 E: potatoes@vegetableswa.com.au • Ngành cây giống và nghề vườn Atthew Lunn, CEO M: 0410 714 207 E: matthew@ngiwa.com.au

• Bộ Nông nghiệp và Lương Thực Tây Úc (Department of Agriculture and Food, WA) Rohan Prince P: 0429 680 069 E: rohan.prince@agric.wa.gov.au

Muốn biết thêm thông tin và hướng dẫn xin vui lòng liên hệ • Trang thông tin của Bộ Nông nghiệp agric.wa.gov.au • Dịch vụ thông tin sâu bệnh hại 1800 084 881 hoặc info@agric.wa.gov.au

rau quả, vật liệu thực vật (cây giống, thức ăn gia súc…) và các công cụ máy móc đến từ Tây Úc.

Các tiểu bang New South Wales, South Australia và Victoria còn tăng cường thêm các biện pháp nghiêm ngặt hơn cùng với một danh sách mở rộng hơn nhiều các đối tượng hoa màu và sản phẩm bị xếp vào

Department of Agriculture and Food

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Thiết lập một kế hoạch an ninh sinh học cho trang trại

BY DR JESSICA LYE AUSVEG

Người dịch: Võ Thế Truyền, Chuyên viên phát triển ngành, Hiệp hội Rau cải Tây Úc

Tiến sỹ Jessica Lye — Giám đốc khoa học và khuyến nông cấp quốc gia của AUSVEG — giải thích rằng: “ Hiện tương rầy cà chua khoai tây TPP xâm nhập vào tiểu bang Tâu Úc cùng với vấn đề lây nhiểm liên tục của loại sâu vẽ bùa (leafminer) trong ngành rau màu đã nêu bật tầm quan trọng trong việc đầu tư xứng đáng cho công tác thiết lập kế hoạch an ninh sinh học trang trại”.

(Body text) Không những các biện pháp an ninh sinh học hạn chế khả năng xâm nhiểm và lây lan của các loại sâu bệnh hại mới vào trang trại, chúng còn giúp hạn chế thiệt hại của các loại sâu bệnh hại đang hiện hữu trong khu vực chẳng hạn như các bệnh héo rủ và các bệnh do siêu vi trùng.

Hầu hết các trang trại đều thực hành các biện pháp an ninh sinh học tương tự nhau. Tuy nhiên, công tác đánh giá các nguy cơ rủi ro riêng của từng trang trại cũng rất quan trọng nhằm đặt ra những ưu tiên cần phải lưu ý cấp thời của mỗi trang trại cụ thể.

Phương pháp giúp hổ trợ thiết lập hiệu quả kế hoạch an ninh sinh học cho một trang trại là bảng kiểm tra chéo các nguy cơ, danh sách các hạng mục và bảng phát thảo kế hoạch quản lý rủi ro. Tất cả các phần hổ trợ trên đều có thể truy cập từ AUSVEG. Một qu trình thiết lập kế hoạch an ninh sinh học hoàn chỉnh cho một trang trại được mô tả từng bược như sau:

1. Tiến hành đánh giá nguy cơ • Xác định các nguy cơ rủi ro

• Đánh giá các tác động có thể gây ra (do các nguy cơ đã xác định trên)

• Xác định các nguy cơ cần ưu tiên xử lý • Kết quả cụ thể: Bảng kiểm tra chéo các nguy cơ có thể xảy ra

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2. Tiến hành phân tích các điểm yếu/ thiếu sót • Xác định các biện pháp cần phải thực hiện hay cần phải cải thiện • Thiết lập ưu tiên biện pháp nào cần làm trước dựa trên kết quả đánh giá các nguy cơ • Kết quả cụ thể: Danh sách các hạng mục

3. Xây dựng kế hoạch quản lý rủi ro • Điền vào một bản thảo kế hoạch

• Xem xét các vấn đề phải xử lý, thời gian, kinh phí cần có.

• Phối hợp các biện pháp vào kế hoạch quản lý trang trại

• Kết quả cụ thể: Bảng thảo kế hoạch an ninh sinh học trang trại

Các công tác tiếp theo việc thiết lập kế hoạch: 1. Đảm bảo nhân công trong trang trại thông hiểu kế hoạch

2. Thực hiện các qui định và các cơ sở vật chất cần thiết để tiến hành theo kế hoạch 3. Đánh giá và cập nhật kế hoạch mỗi năm.

Thường xuyên kiểm tra cây trồng là một phần rất quan trọng để duy trì hoa màu luôn được tốt và tạo điều kiện phát hiện sâu bệnh hại mới trước khi chúng sinh sôi thành vấn đề. Nên lưu ý trước tiên các loại

sâu bệnh hại và cỏ dại phổ biến chủ yếu trong vùng và các loại thường gặp phải trong trang trại của quí vị.

Trong quá trình theo dõi nên ghi chép lại ngày tháng và các vấn đề quan sát được, diên tích bi ảnh hưởng, mức độ nhiểm sâu bệnh và kế hoạch dự tính được áp dụng đối phó. Kể cá khi không quan sát thấy sau bệnh vẫn nên ghi chép. Để nhận được quyển sổ tay Kế hoạch an ninh sinh hoc trang trai (một bảng hướng dẫn từng bước một để xây dựng kế hoạch) và một quyển kế hoạch an ninh sinh học trang trại AUSVEG trong đó có dách sách mở rộng các hạng mục cần lưu ý cùng với nhiều thông tin bổ xung về an ninh sinh học, các rủi ro…xin vui lòng liên hệ AUSVEG.

Quí vị cũng có thể tìm thấy một bảng danh sách các loài sâu bệnh hại ngoại lai có thể gây ảnh hưởng cho nông dân trồng hoa màu trong Kế hoạch An ninh sinh học cho ngành rau cải ausveg.com.au/biosecurity.

Các nguồn thông tin giúp cải thiện các biện pháp an ninh sinh học của quí vị có trong trang mạng ausveg.com.au hoặc farmbiosecurity.com.au.

Hiện tại, quí vị có thể điền vào bảng danh mục cần kiểm tra dưới đây đề xác định các lảnh vực cần phải áp dụng các biện pháp an ninh sinh học trong trang trại mình. Trong quá trình lên kế hoạch bảng danh mục này còn giúp quí vị ghi nhận hiện trạng của trang trại để làm cơ sở đối chiếu trong tương lai.

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DEVELOPING AN ON-FARM BIOSECURITY PLAN — VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION

Các biện pháp vệ sinh trang trại phổ thông Bảng cảnh báo an ninh sinh hoc trang trại tại cổng ra vào cảnh báo khách đến rằng quí vị muốn họ phải tuyệt đối tuân thủ qui trình an ninh sinh học trang trại. Bảng báo có tác dụng đặc biệt quan trọng khi vùng sản xuất nằm trong khu dân cư, nơi mà xe cộ vào trang trại thương xuyên. Lý do chủ yếu cần phải có bảng báo là để bảo đảm rang khách không vô ý đi vào khu vực sản xuất.

Bảng cảnh giới được dung để chỉ dẩn rỏ rang lối vào nơi đổ xe, văn phòng cần liên hệ để ghi vào sổ đăng ký khách đến và được phổ biến về qui tắt an ninh sinh học trong trang trại, chỉ dẫn khi khách vào khu vực hạn chế, cách tẩy rửa giày, nợi tẩy rứa xe. Tất cả các chỉ dẫn trên phải được để nơi cổng ra vào để làm tăng hiệu lực cảnh báo của bang cảnh báo an ninh sinh học.

Phần phổ biến về an ninh sinh học hết sức quan trọng khi tiếp các đoàn tham quan như học sinh, du khách hay khi thay ca nhân công theo định kỳ. Phần này nên nêu rỏ các biện pháp an ninh sinh học trang trại, sử dụng bảng kế hoạch hành động để hướng dẫn và nhấn mạnh các nguy cơ do sâu bệnh hại đối với trang trại Đảm bảo giày và quần áo của tất cả khách viếng, nhân công, ngược giao nhận hàng phải sạch sẽ (không dính đất và cỏ rác) trước khi vào và ra khỏi trang trại, khi cần thiết thì cung cấp bàn chải, thảm dẩm giày có chất tiệt trùng, bao giày và đồ bảo hộ để tránh rơi vãi đất cát, cỏ rác tự bên ngoài vào.

Nơi tẩy rửa là nơi nhân công, nhân viên, người giao nhận hàng có thể tẩy rửa, tiệt trùng tất cả các phương tiện ra vào khu sản xuất. Thường xuyên sử dụng nơi này sẽ làn giảm nguy cơ sâu bệnh hại

Biện pháp an ninh sinh học Trang trại có khu vực riêng để tẩy rửa phương tiện, thiết bị, xe cộ Khu vực tẩy rửa nằm gần cổng ra vào và xa khu vực sản xuất Có qui định chổ đậu xe của người viếng thăm

Chỉ sử dụng phương tiện chuyên dụng trong phạm vi trang trại cho mục đích di chuyển, vận chuyển trong trang trại.

Hạn chế xe cộ vào khu vực sản xuất

Có lối đi riêng để hạn chế xe cộ chạy lung tung vào khu vực sản xuất Máy móc thiết bị sản xuất được tẩy rửa trước khi di chuyển khỏi trang trại Lối đi có tẩm thuốc và bàn chảy dể dàng tìm thấy

Quần áo, giày dép, dụng cụ được kiểm tra sạch đất và tàn dư thực vật rước khi vào trang trại.

Nhân viên được tập huấn về an ninh sinh học

Khách viếng thăm được phổ biến về yêu cầu an ninh sinh học trước khi vào trang trại.

Khách viếng thăm ghi sổ theo dõi nơi dừng lại trong trang trại

Có cung cấp dụng cụ vệ sinh cần thiết cho khách và nhân công. ( xà phòng rửa tay, găng tay, lối dậm giày…)

Các nhân viên và phương tiện giao nhận theo hợp đồng ra vào phải tuân thủ yêu cầu an ninh sinh học và vệ sinh trang trại.

Cổng ra vào có treo bảng yêu cầu liên hệ và số điện thoại cần liên hệ Trang trại được phân lô và hạn chế nhân công, phương tiện di chuyển qua lại giửa các lô Cây giống, hột giống được mua từ nơi uy tín, có đăng ký

Hột giống nhập khẩu đã qua xét nghiệm theo điều kiện BICON Thường xuyên quan sát triệu chứng trên cây trồng

Nhân công được huấn luyện nhận biết triệu chứng bệnh hại cây trồng Ghi chép các hoạt đonh giám sát sâu bệnh hịa và kết quả kể cả khi không phát hiện được gì Có kế hoạch quản lý trên trang trại đối với các sâu bệnh hại có tại địa phương.

Các ba-lệt được tẩy rửa sạch đất và tàn dư thực vật

Có

n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

xâm nhập vào trang trại hay phát tán từ trang trại ra xung quanh vùng.

Phân chia trang trại thanh lô giúp kiểm soát việc ra vào tốt hơn và giảm thiểu nguy cơ sâu bệnh hại xâm nhập và phát tán. Thường xuyên kiểm tra duy trì hàng rào ranh giới, khống chế thú vật và cỏ dại xâm nhập cũng là những công tác quan trọng trong an ninh sinh học.

Thường xuyên tầm soát khu vực sản xuất, cây cỏ xung quanh, khu vực tẩy rửa, nguồn nước sẽ giúp phát hiện sâu bệnh hại mới trước khi chúng sinh sôi nẩy nở. Điều thiết yếu là nhân công cũng phải biết nên để ý sâu bệnh hại nào khi thực hiện công việc tầm soát và các ghi chép khi tầm soát phải được lưu giử cẩn thận. Các bản ghi chép này có thể có giá trị rất tốt khi cần khôi phục lại các thị trường (bị cấm đoán vì lý do sâu bệnh hại trước đây).

Không

n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

Khi phát hiện bất kỳ hiện tượng sâu bệnh bất thường nên báo cáo cho các cơ quan chuyên trách nông nghiệp của tiểu bang hoặc địa phương theo đương dây nóng sâu bệnh hịa ngoại lai 1800 084 881.

THÊM THÔNG TIN Muốn biết thêm thông tin chi tiết xin liên hệ tiến sỹ Jessica Lye — Giám đốc khoa hoc và khuyến nông cấp quốc gia AUSVEG — jessica.lye@ausveg.com.au hoặc (03) 9882 0277.

Chương trình An ninh sinh học rau màu và khoai tây do quĩ Lệ phí sức khỏe cây trồng (Plant Health Levy) tài trợ.

Kênh dối thoại này được tổ chức Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA) tài trợ từ nguồn quĩ lệ phí phục vụ nghiên cứu và phát triển ngành rau cải cấp quốc gia và nguồn tài trợ của chính phủ.

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Làm việc an toàn tại Úc Tờ thông tin

An toàn là một phần quan trọng trong việc làm tại Úc Theo pháp luật tại Úc thì chủ nhân của quý vị (sếp của quý vị) phải làm tất cả những gì trong khả năng để bảo đảm công việc của quý vị không làm quý vị bị thương hay khiến quý vị bị bệnh. Luật này được gọi là sức khỏe và an toàn trong việc làm (Work Health and Safety - WHS) hoặc sức khỏe và an toàn nghề nghiệp (Occupational Health and Safety - OHS).

Luật này cũng nói rằng người chủ của quý vị phải có bảo hiểm cho quý vị trong trường hợp quý vị bị thương tại nơi làm việc. Bảo hiểm này gọi là bảo hiểm bồi thường cho người lao động. Nếu quý vị bị thương hoặc bị bệnh tại nơi làm việc, bảo hiểm có thể trả phí tổn điều trị y tế và tiền lương cho quý vị cho đến khi quý vị có thể làm việc trở lại.

Việc này bao gồm tất cả các công nhân viên tại Úc, dù cho quý vị chỉ là đang có thị thực tạm thời.

Người chủ của quý vị phải làm những gì Người chủ của quý vị phải chăm lo sức khỏe và sự an toàn của quý vị tại nơi làm việc.

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Người chủ của quý vị phải:

• chỉ cho quý vị cách thức làm công việc của mình một cách an toàn hoặc bảo đảm rằng có một người nào đó chỉ cho quý vị cách thức làm công việc của mình một cách an toàn • bảo đảm có một người nào đó trông chừng cho quý vị

• không yêu cầu quý vị phải làm bất cứ việc gì cần một giấy phép đặc biệt, như lái xe hơi, cần cẩu hay xe nâng hàng nếu quý vị không có giấy phép thích hợp • có những dụng cụ và trang thiết bị cho quý vị để làm công việc của mình một cách an toàn

• cung cấp cho quý vị các trang bị an toàn, nếu quý vị cần chúng để làm công việc của mình.

Trang bị an toàn Trang bị an toàn cho công việc thường được gọi là trang bị bảo hộ cá nhân (personal protective equipment - PPE). Có nhiều loại PPE đặc biệt cho từng công việc. Đây có thể là một chiếc mũ cứng, kính bảo vệ hoặc kính mắt an toàn, găng tay, ủng, tạp dề hoặc đồ bịt tai.

Các trang bị an toàn này cần phải trong tình trạng tốt và phải đúng kích cỡ để quý vị mang một cách thoải mái. Quý vị cần

biết cách sử dụng trang bị an toàn và phải mang chúng đúng cách.

Nếu quý vị nghĩ rằng mình cần có thêm thứ gì đó, hãy nói chuyện với người chủ của quý vị, với công nhân nhiều kinh nghiệm hơn hoặc với người Đại diện về Sức khỏe và An toàn (Health and Safety Representative — HSR) nếu ở nơi làm việc của quý vị có chức vị này.

Quý vị phải làm gì những gì để giữ cho mình luôn an toàn tại nơi làm việc Theo luật pháp ở Úc thì có những việc quý vị phải làm để chăm lo sức khỏe và sự an toàn của chính quý vị tại nơi làm việc.

Quý vị phải:

• có đủ sức khỏe để làm công việc của quý vị

• khỏe mạnh đủ để làm công việc của quý vị

• làm những gì người chủ yêu cầu miễn là nó hợp lý và trừ khi quý vị nghĩ rằng nó không an toàn hoặc có thể làm quý vị bị thương • không bị ảnh hưởng của rượu bia hoặc các chất thuốc hay sử dụng rượu bia hoặc các loại thuốc bất hợp pháp tại nơi làm việc

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• không làm bất cứ điều gì có thể gây chấn thương cho chính quý vị hoặc người khác tại nơi làm việc.

Nếu quý vị không hiểu cách thức làm bất cứ việc gì mà người ta yêu cầu quý vị làm tại nơi làm việc, quý vị nên hỏi sếp hay một nhân viên nhiều kinh nghiệm hơn để được giúp đỡ. Đây là một vài việc có thể khiến quý vị bị thương tại nơi làm việc: • sử dụng thiết bị khi chưa ai dạy quý vị cách sử dụng thiết bị một cách đúng cách

• không mang các trang bị an toàn (PPE) phù hợp hay không mang chúng đúng cách • vội vã và làm kiểu đi tắt

• làm những việc khiến quý vị phân tâm trong khi làm việc (như sử dụng điện thoại di động trong khi làm việc).

Luật ở Úc nói rằng quý vị có quyền đặt câu hỏi về công việc mà người ta yêu cầu quý vị làm và có quyền từ chối nếu được yêu cầu làm công việc có thể khiến quý vị bị thương. Nếu quý vị được yêu cầu làm một việc gì đó mà quý vị nghĩ có thể không an toàn, hãy dừng lại và nói chuyện với sếp hoặc người giám sát của quý vị. Đôi khi người sếp tại nơi làm việc không phải là người trả lương cho quý vị, ví dụ, khi quý vị làm việc thông qua một cơ quan cho thuê lao động. Nếu quý vị làm việc thông qua một cơ quan cho thuê lao động, họ sẽ trả lương cho quý vị nhưng người khác lại phụ trách tại nơi làm việc.

Nếu quý vị không muốn nói chuyện với người chủ tại nơi làm việc, quý vị có thể nói chuyện với cơ quan cho thuê lao động về sức khỏe và an toàn trong việc làm.

Phải có một người nào đó tại nơi làm việc có thể giúp quý vị về bất kỳ câu hỏi nào về sức khỏe và an toàn trong việc làm – hãy tìm xem người này là ai và làm thế nào để liên hệ với họ.

Nếu quý vị không biết chắc về điều gì đó, hãy hỏi một người nào đó để được giúp đỡ.

Quyền của quý vị được trả lương và hưởng các điều kiện công bằng Ở Úc, có mức lương và những điều kiện làm việc tối thiểu. Ủy Ban Thanh Tra Việc làm Công bằng (Fair Work Ombudsman) giúp giới chủ nhân và người lao động hiểu rõ những quyền và trách nhiệm trong việc làm, họ cũng có thể giúp quý vị tìm hiểu

xem quý vị phải được trả lương bao nhiêu. Ủy Ban Thanh Tra Việc làm Công bằng có thể điều tra một trường hợp nếu họ nghĩ rằng có ai đó vi phạm luật nơi làm việc. Để liên hệ với Ủy Ban Thanh Tra Việc làm Công bằng (Fair Work Ombudsman) hoặc để tìm hiểu thêm về các quyền của mình tại nơi làm việc, hãy truy cập trang mạng www.fairwork.gov.au hoặc gọi số 13 13 94.

Bắt nạt Bắt nạt là nói hay làm một điều gì đó khiến người khác sợ hãi hoặc làm nhục họ. Điều này có thể là cười riễu họ, kêu họ bằng những danh xưng không tử tế, xô đẩy hoặc đập phá đồ đạc của họ.

Không ai phải bị bắt nạt tại nơi làm việc.

Nếu quý vị bị bắt nạt, hãy nói chuyện với sếp của quý vị hoặc một nhân viên khác và cho họ biết quý vị muốn việc bắt nạt dừng lại.

Nếu việc bắt nạt không dừng lại, quý vị có thể nói chuyện với một người nào đó trong chính quyền tại tiểu bang hoặc vùng lãnh thổ nơi quý vị đang làm việc. Có một danh sách ở cuối tờ thông tin này. Quý vị cũng có thể nói chuyện với Ủy ban Việc làm Công bằng, gọi số 1300 799 675 hoặc vào trang mạng www.fwc.gov.au

Phải làm gì nếu quý vị bị chấn thương hoặc bị thương tại nơi làm việc Nhờ được sơ cứu (first aid) hoặc đi gặp bác sĩ hoặc y tá ngay lập tức. Quý vị có quyền chọn bác sĩ mà quý vị muốn gặp. Đây có thể là bác sĩ riêng của quý vị, một bác sĩ địa phương hoặc một bác sĩ hoặc y tá tại nơi làm việc. Quý vị có thể yêu cầu bác sĩ cho một giấy chứng nhận y tế và quý vị có thể trình giấy chứng nhận này với sếp của quý vị.

Nói với sếp rằng quý vị đã bị thương. Quý vị có thể sẽ cần phải điền một mẫu đơn gọi là bản báo cáo sự cố (incident report).

Nếu có thể, quý vị hãy cố gắng làm việc này trước khi ra về. Nếu quý vị cần được giúp đỡ để điền đơn, hãy nhờ một ai đó giúp quý vị. Đơn này sẽ yêu cầu quý vị giải thích chuyện gì đã xảy ra và làm thế nào mà quý vị bị thương. Đơn này sẽ giúp ngăn chặn việc người khác bị thương như quý vị. Có hồ sơ này là chuyện rất quan trọng — nó có thể ảnh hưởng đến việc bồi thường lao động cho quý vị.

Nếu quý vị có các hóa đơn y tế hoặc không thể làm việc vì bị chấn thương, quý vị có thể được nhận bồi thường lao động để thanh toán cho việc điều trị y tế và hỗ trợ cho đến khi quý vị trở lại làm việc. Nhớ hỏi sếp quý vị về việc này càng sớm càng tốt, và điền vào bất kỳ mẫu đơn nào quý vị cần điền để nộp đơn xin bồi thường lao động.

Nếu quý vị bị thương, đừng sợ rằng quý vị sẽ gặp rắc rối. Ngay cả nếu quý vị đã phạm một lỗi lầm, quý vị vẫn nên báo cáo việc bị thương và yêu cầu được giúp đỡ.

Danh mục kiểm tra trước khi bắt đầu việc làm Trước khi bắt đầu một việc làm mới, một số điều quan trọng phải được thực hiện.

Người chủ của quý vị (người sếp) hoặc một công nhân hiểu biết công việc phải bảo đảm rằng những điều này được thực hiện trước khi quý vị bắt đầu một việc làm mới. Nếu quý vị không hiểu tiếng Anh tốt, quý vị có thể yêu cầu có thông dịch viên hoặc yêu cầu một nhân viên khác nói ngôn ngữ của quý vị giải thích cho quý vị.

Danh mục này sẽ giúp quý vị biết về những điều quan trọng cho sức khỏe và sự an toàn trong việc làm.

Danh mục kiểm tra trước khi bắt đầu việc làm

• Đã có người nào chỉ cho quý vị cách thức làm công việc của quý vị, và kiểm tra để bảo đảm rằng quý vị đang làm công việc đó một cách an toàn?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị đã gặp người chủ của mình và những người quý vị sẽ làm việc chung với họ, đặc biệt là những người chăm sóc sức khỏe và sự an toàn cho quý vị?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị có biết ai là người quý vị có thể hỏi nếu quý vị không biết chắc phải làm gì hoặc cần giúp đỡ?

n Có n Không

• Đã có người nào giới thiệu cho quý vị quanh nơi quý vị sẽ làm việc, và chỉ ra cho quý vị những nơi vào, nơi ra, nhà vệ sinh, phòng ăn và phòng sơ cứu?

n Có n Không

• Đã có người nào nói với quý vị về bất kỳ nơi nào quý vị không nên đi vào, và tại sao?

n Có n Không

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• Đã có người nào chỉ quý vị cách sử dụng một cách an toàn các thiết bị quý vị cần để làm công việc của mình?

n Có n Không

• Đã có người nào kiểm tra để bảo đảm rằng quý vị sử dụng các thiết bị đúng cách không?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị đã có tất cả các trang bị an toàn mà quý vị cần không?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị có biết cách sử dụng và mang các trang bị này?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị có biết phải làm gì và báo cho ai nếu bị thương hoặc cảm thấy bị bệnh tại nơi làm việc, và quý vị có biết phải đến đâu để được giúp đỡ và được sơ cứu?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị có biết cách gọi cứu hỏa, cảnh sát hay xe cứu thương?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị có biết phải làm gì nếu có một trường hợp khẩn cấp, và tiếng báo động nghe như thế nào?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị có biết làm thế nào để ra khỏi nơi làm việc của quý vị trong trường hợp khẩn cấp?

n Có n Không

• Quý vị có biết phải hỏi ai về sức khỏe và sự an toàn của quý vị?

n Có n Không

Quý vị đã trả lời Không cho bất kỳ câu hỏi nào? Nếu vậy, hãy nói chuyện với sếp hay một nhân viên kinh nghiệm hơn để tìm hiểu những thông tin quan trọng này cho sự an toàn của chính quý vị.

Nếu quý vị lo lắng về sức khỏe và an toàn của quý vị tại nơi làm việc, hoặc về bồi thường lao động, quý vị có thể nói chuyện với một người nào đó trong chính quyền tiểu bang hoặc vùng lãnh thổ nơi quý vị đang làm việc. Quý vị sẽ không gặp rắc rối vì nói chuyện với chính quyền về sức khỏe và sự an toàn trong việc làm hoặc bồi thường lao động.

THÊM THÔNG TIN Nếu quý vị cần thông dịch viên, hãy gọi đến Dịch vụ Thông dịch trên Điện thoại ở số 131 450.

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Liên lạc để hỏi về sức khỏe và sự an toàn trong việc làm: New South Wales SafeWork NSW Trang mạng: safework.nsw.gov.au Email: contact@safework.nsw.gov.au Điện thoại: 13 10 50

Victoria WorkSafe Victoria Trang mạng: worksafe.vic.gov.au Email: Info@worksafe.vic.gov.au Điện thoại: 1800 136 089 (gọi miễn phí) Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Office of Industrial Relations (WHSQ) Trang mạng: worksafe.qld.gov.au Điện thoại: 1300 362 128 Western Australia WorkSafe WA Trang mạng: commerce.wa.gov.au/ WorkSafe/ Email: safety@commerce.wa.gov.au Điện thoại: 1300 307 877 South Australia SafeWork SA Trang mạng: safework.sa.gov.au Email: help@safework.sa.gov.au Điện thoại: 1300 366 255

Australian Capital Territory WorkSafe ACT Trang mạng: worksafe.act.gov.au Email: worksafe@act.gov.au Điện thoại: 02 6207 3000 Northern Territory NT WorkSafe Trang mạng: worksafe.nt.gov.au Email: ntworksafe@nt.gov.au Điện thoại: 1800 019 115

Tasmania WorkSafe Tasmania Trang mạng: worksafe.tas.gov.au Email: wstinfo@justice.tas.gov.au Điện thoại: (02) 6166 4600 (ngoài Tasmania) Điện thoại: 1300 366 322 (trong Tasmania)

Commonwealth Một số công nhân viên thuộc chương trình Liên Bang về sức khỏe và sự an toàn trong việc làm. Nếu quý vị làm việc cho một doanh nghiệp thuộc chương trình Comcare, quý vị cần liên hệ với Comcare: Comcare Trang mạng: comcare.gov.au Điện thoại: 1300 366 979

Để hỏi về bồi thường lao động nếu bị thương tại nơi làm việc hãy liên hệ: New South Wales State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) Trang mạng: workcover.nsw.gov.au Email: contact@sira.nsw.gov.au Điện thoại: 13 10 50

Victoria WorkSafe Victoria Trang mạng: worksafe.vic.gov.au Email: Info@worksafe.vic.gov.au Điện thoại: 1800 136 089 (gọi miễn phí) Queensland WorkCover Queensland Trang mạng: worksafe.qld.gov.au Email: info@workcoverqld.com.au Điện thoại: 1300 362 128

Western Australia WorkCover WA Trang mạng: workcover.wa.gov.au Điện thoại: (08) 9388 5555 South Australia ReturnToWorkSA Trang mạng: rtwsa.com Email: info@rtwsa.com Điện thoại: 13 18 55

Australian Capital Territory WorkSafe ACT Trang mạng: worksafe.act.gov.au Email: worksafe@act.gov.au Điện thoại: 02 6207 3000 Northern Territory NT WorkSafe Trang mạng: worksafe.nt.gov.au Email: ntworksafe@nt.gov.au Điện thoại: 1800 019 115

Tasmania WorkSafe Tasmania Trang mạng: worksafe.tas.gov.au/ compensation/workers Điện thoại: 1300 027 747 Email: workerassist@workerassist.org.au Một số công nhân viên thuộc chương trình Liên Bang về sức khỏe và sự an toàn trong việc làm. Nếu quý vị làm việc cho một doanh nghiệp thuộc chương trình Comcare, quý vị cần liên hệ với Comcare:

Comcare Trang mạng: comcare.gov.au Điện thoại: 1300 366 979 Để hỏi về lương và điều kiện làm việc Trang mạng của Fair Work Ombudsman: www.fairwork.gov.au Điện thoại: 13 13 94 Để yêu cầu giúp đỡ nếu quý vị bị bắt nạt Trang mạng của Fair Work Commission: www.fwc.gov.au Điện thoại: 1300 799 675

YOUR PRODUCTION

Permits Permit No.

Minor Use Permits can also be searched by specific crop or pest types at https://portal.apvma.gov.au/permits

Description

Disease

Status

Issued date

Expiry date

Avatar (indoxacarb)

Garden weevil

CURRENT

15-May-17

31-May-22

PER81196

Bifenthrin

Specified whitefly and mite species

CURRENT

8-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER14701

Pyriproxyfen

Silverleaf whitefly

CURRENT

4-Feb-15

30-Jun-20

PER14184

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

CURRENT

1-Jul-13

30-Jun-22

PER14456

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

30-Jun-19

PER81260

Imidacloprid

Aphids & thrips

CURRENT

1-Dec-15

30-Sep-20

Asparagus PER82992 Beans

Beetroot

PER82811

S-METOLACHLOR

Blackberry nightsade

CURRENT

25-Jan-17

1-Feb-20

PER14891

Trifloxystrobin

Alternaria leaf spot

CURRENT

1-Jan-15

30-Sep-19

Acramite Miticide (bifenazate)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

29-Mar-16

31-Mar-21

Bitter melon PER82341

Brassica leafy vegetables PER12008

PROPACHLOR

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

18-Jun-12

30-Nov-25

PER14958

Dimethomorph & Mancozeb (Acrobat Fungicide)

Downy mildew & other diseases

CURRENT

21-Dec-14

31-Oct-19

PER14127

Pendimethalin

Weeds

CURRENT

31-Oct-13

31-Aug-18

PER14864

Pirimicarb

Aphids

CURRENT

11-Nov-14

30-Jun-19

PER13154

Dual Gold Herbicide

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

20-Feb-12

31-Mar-22

PER14907

Emamectin

Various pests

CURRENT

9-Dec-14

30-Nov-19

PER14584

Imidacloprid

Aphids, whitefly and thrips

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

31-Mar-19

PER14184

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

CURRENT

1-Jul-13

30-Jun-22

PER81876

ABAMECTIN

Leaf miner

CURRENT

24-Jun-16

30-Apr-19

PER81196

Bifenthrin

Specified whitefly and mite species

CURRENT

8-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER14596

Chlorpyrifos

Vegetable beetle adults

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER82459

CLETHODIM

Various grass weeds

CURRENT

19-Apr-17

30-Sep-21

Admiral Insect Growth Regulator (pyriproxyfen)

Silverleaf whitefly

CURRENT

13-Jul-14

30-Jun-18

PER14432

Pendimethalin

Weeds

CURRENT

23-May-14

30-Jun-19

PER14384

Admiral Insect Growth Regulator (pyriproxyfen)

Silverleaf whitefly

CURRENT

13-Jul-14

30-Jun-18

PER80910

Iprodione

Grey mould

CURRENT

1-Aug-15

31-Jul-20

ABAMECTIN

Leaf miner

CURRENT

24-Jun-16

30-Apr-19

PER82039

BIFENTHRIN

Symphyla

CURRENT

20-Nov-15

31-Oct-18

PER14384

Admiral Insect Growth Regulator (pyriproxyfen)

Silverleaf whitefly

CURRENT

13-Jul-14

30-Jun-18

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER14326

Captan

Grey mould

CURRENT

19-Dec-13

30-Nov-21

PER84245

Movento 240 SC

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

7-Apr-17

28-Feb-20

PER81408

PHOSPHOROUS ACID

Phytophthora soil fungus

CURRENT

7-Sep-15

30-Sep-20

Broccoli PER14384 Brussel sprouts

Bulb vegetables PER81876 Cabbage

Capsicum

WA Grower WINTER 2017

113

YOUR PRODUCTION

Permits (cont.)

Permit No.

Description

Disease

Status

Issued date

Expiry date

PER13031

Maldison

Fruit fly

PER14725

Paramite Selective Miticide

Tomato spider mites

CURRENT

6-Oct-11

30-Nov-18

CURRENT

22-Oct-14

30-Jun-18

Carrot PER14184

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

CURRENT

1-Jul-13

30-Jun-22

PER14816

Azoxystrobin

owdery mildew, sclerotinia rot (white mould), P black rot

CURRENT

1-Jun-14

30-Jun-19

PER80169

Metribuzin

Grass and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

3-Mar-15

31-Mar-18

PER14384

Admiral Insect Growth Regulator (pyriproxyfen)

Silverleaf whitefly

CURRENT

13-Jul-14

30-Jun-18

PER82039

BIFENTHRIN

Symphyla

CURRENT

20-Nov-15

31-Oct-18

Success Neo Insecticide (spinetoram)

Various insect pests

CURRENT

29-Mar-12

31-Mar-22

PER81914

EMAMECTIN

eliothis, light brown apple moth and cluster H caterpillar

CURRENT

19-Apr-17

31-Oct-19

PER83203

FIPRONIL (REGENT 200 SC)

Western flower thrips, onion thrips

CURRENT

16-Mar-17

13-Mar-22

Cauliflower

Celeriac PER13088 Celery

PER14494

Trifloxystrobin

DM, cercospora & septoria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Jun-19

PER14436

Applaud Insecticide (buprofezin)

Greenhouse whitefly

CURRENT

9-May-14

30-Jun-19

PER14341

Chess Insecticide (pymetrozine)

Aphids

CURRENT

30-May-14

30-Jun-17

PER82358

Esfenvalerate

Helicoverpa armigera

CURRENT

5-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER14843

Indoxacarb (Avatar Insecticide)

eliothis, lightbrown apple moth, lucerne leaf H roller and vegetable weevil

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER13496

Linuron

Range of weeds

CURRENT

4-May-12

30-Apr-22

PER14457

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

CURRENT

19-Mar-14

30-Jun-19

PER80282

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

CURRENT

16-Dec-14

30-Nov-17

PER81241

Phenmedipham (Betanal)

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

29-May-15

31-May-20

Chicory

PER14456

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

30-Jun-19

PER14841

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER14494

Trifloxystrobin

DM, cercospora & septoria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Jun-19

PER14864

Pirimicarb

Aphids

CURRENT

11-Nov-14

30-Jun-19

PER14864

Pirimicarb

Aphids

CURRENT

11-Nov-14

30-Jun-19

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER84245

Movento 240 SC

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

7-Apr-17

28-Feb-20

PER14326

Captan

Grey mould

CURRENT

19-Dec-13

30-Nov-21

PER14536

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

30-May-14

31-Dec-18

BIFENTHRIN

Symphyla

CURRENT

20-Nov-15

31-Oct-18

Triadimenol

White rot (sclerotium)

CURRENT

22-Oct-14

31-Oct-19

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER82341

Acramite Miticide (bifenazate)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

29-Mar-16

31-Mar-21

PER81196

Bifenthrin

Specified whitefly and mite species

CURRENT

8-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER14326

Captan

Grey mould

CURRENT

19-Dec-13

30-Nov-21

PER81702

DOMINEX DUO EC INSECTICIDE

Loopers

CURRENT

24-Mar-16

31-Mar-21

Chillies

Chinese cabbage PER82039 Chives PER14906 Cucumber

114

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YOUR PRODUCTION

Permit No.

Description

Disease

Status

Issued date

Expiry date

PER13031

Maldison

Fruit fly

PER80891

Pyranica Miticide

Two-spotted mite & European red mite

CURRENT

6-Oct-11

30-Nov-18

CURRENT

30-Sep-15

30-Sep-20

PER14765

Hexythiazox (Calibre 100 EC miticide)

omato spider mite, two-spotted mite, broad T mite, tomato russet mite

CURRENT

21-Feb-15

31-Mar-18

PER80138 PER14725

Alpha-cypermethrin

Cucumber fruit fly

CURRENT

26-Feb-15

31-Mar-20

Paramite Selective Miticide

Tomato spider mites

CURRENT

22-Oct-14

30-Jun-18

PER80101

SUMITOMO SAMURAI SYSTEMIC INSECTICIDE

Cucumber fruit fly

CURRENT

10-Nov-15

30-Sep-18

PER14840

Bupirimate

Powdery mildew

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

Cucurbits

Custard apple PER14743

Trichlorfon

Various insect pests

CURRENT

1-Jun-14

30-Jun-20

PER83212

Octave WP Fungicide (prochloraz)

Anthracnose

CURRENT

1-Sep-16

31-Aug-18

PER14227

Paramite (etoxazole)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

31-Oct-13

30-Jun-18

PER14894

Clothianidin (Samurai Systemic Insecticide)

Citrus mealy bug

CURRENT

24-Feb-15

31-Aug-18

PER14905

Sulfoxaflor (Transform Insecticide)

Citrus mealybug

CURRENT

29-Mar-15

31-Mar-18

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER82341

Acramite Miticide (bifenazate)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

29-Mar-16

31-Mar-21

PER14484

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

CURRENT

16-Apr-14

31-Mar-18

Eggplant

PER80717

Trichlorfon

Fruit fly

CURRENT

28-Oct-15

31-Oct-20

PER14839

Zineb

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.)

CURRENT

1-Aug-14

30-Sep-19

PER81196

Bifenthrin

Specified whitefly and mite species

CURRENT

8-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER81914

EMAMECTIN

Heliothis, light brown apple moth & cluster caterpillar

CURRENT

19-Apr-17

31-Oct-19

PER84245

Movento 240 SC

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

7-Apr-17

28-Feb-20

PER14186

Success Neo (spinetoram)

Melon thrips

CURRENT

3-Oct-13

30-Sep-18

Phenmedipham (Betanal)

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

29-May-15

31-May-20

Endive PER81241 PER14456

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

30-Jun-19

PER14841

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER14494

Trifloxystrobin

DM, cercospora & septoria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Jun-19

FIPRONIL (REGENT 200 SC)

Western flower thrips, onion thrips

CURRENT

16-Mar-17

13-Mar-22

Terbutryn

Broad leaf weeds

CURRENT

1-Sep-14

30-Sep-19

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

12-May-17

30-Jun-19

Field lettuce PER83203 Field peas PER14937

Fresh fruit and vegetables PER84555

VAPORMATE (ETHYL FORMATE)

PER81637

Chlorpyrifos & maldison

CURRENT

14-Aug-15

31-Aug-20

PER80099

Alpha-Cypermethrin

Mediterrean fruit fly and Queeensland fruit fly

CURRENT

26-Feb-15

31-Mar-20

PER14765

Hexythiazox (Calibre 100 EC miticide)

Tomato spider mite, two-spotted mite, broad mite, tomato russet mite

CURRENT

21-Feb-15

31-Mar-18

PER80100

Sumitomo Samurai Systematic Insecticide

Mediterranean fruit fly & Queensland fruit fly

CURRENT

10-Nov-15

30-Sep-18

PER80101

SUMITOMO SAMURAI SYSTEMIC INSECTICIDE

Cucumber fruit fly

CURRENT

10-Nov-15

30-Sep-18

PER81876

ABAMECTIN

Leaf miner

CURRENT

24-Jun-16

30-Apr-19

Naturalure Fruit Fly Bait Concentrate

Mediterranean fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly

CURRENT

9-Apr-15

31-Mar-20

Fruit tree PER80719

WA Grower WINTER 2017

115

YOUR PRODUCTION

Permits (cont.)

Permit No.

Description

Disease

Status

Issued date

Expiry date

PER14680

Naturalure Fruit Fly Bait Concentrate

Mediterranean fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly

CURRENT

31-Mar-14

31-Mar-19

PER14484

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

CURRENT

16-Apr-14

31-Mar-18

PER82053

BROMOXYNIL

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

14-Sep-16

31-Mar-21

PER82054

CARBENDAZIM

Botrytis

CURRENT

14-Sep-16

31-Mar-21

PER82015

Clethodim

Winter grass

CURRENT

14-Sep-16

31-Mar-21

PER14626

Copper as tribasic copper sulphate

Downy mildew

CURRENT

10-Jul-14

30-Jun-19

PER14628

IOXYNIL (TOTRIL)

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

31-Jul-20

PER82087

IPRODIONE

Botrytis

CURRENT

1-Aug-16

31-Jul-21

PER14604

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Selected insect pests

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

31-Mar-22

PER82055

METHABENZTHIAZURON

Annual grass and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

14-Sep-16

31-Mar-21

PER14886

Pendimethalin

Grass & broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

1-Aug-14

30-Sep-19

PER82063

TEBUCONAZOLE

Orange rust

CURRENT

14-Sep-16

31-Mar-21

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

23-Jul-12

30-Jun-22

Bentazone (Basagran)

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER14959

Haloxyfop

Storksbill

CURRENT

21-Dec-14

30-Nov-19

PER14326

Captan

Grey mould

CURRENT

19-Dec-13

30-Nov-21

PER14958

Dimethomorph & Mancozeb (Acrobat Fungicide)

Downy mildew & other diseases

CURRENT

21-Dec-14

31-Oct-19

PER14906

Triadimenol

White rot (sclerotium)

CURRENT

22-Oct-14

31-Oct-19

PER14457

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

CURRENT

19-Mar-14

30-Jun-19

PER80282

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged Earth mite, onion thrips

CURRENT

16-Dec-14

30-Nov-17

Garlic

Green beans PER13626

Green peas (processing) PER14896 Leafy lettuce

Leek

PER14473

Dimethomorph & Mancozeb

Downy mildew, purple blotch & botrytis rots

CURRENT

18-Dec-13

30-Jun-18

PER14484

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

CURRENT

16-Apr-14

31-Mar-18

PER14742

Methabenzthiazuron (Tribunil Herbicide)

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

1-Jul-14

30-Jun-21

PER82551

diazinon

Onion fly & onion seedling maggot

CURRENT

23-May-16

31-Mar-21

PER81196

Bifenthrin

Specified whitefly and mite species

CURRENT

8-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER81241

Phenmedipham (Betanal)

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

29-May-15

31-May-20

PER14696

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

31-Mar-19

PER14210

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted (red spider) mite

CURRENT

17-Oct-13

30-Sep-18

PER14430

Azoxystrobin (Amistar 250 SC)

Bottom rot

CURRENT

21-Mar-14

30-Jun-22

PER14257

BALAN (benfluralin)

Grass and broadleaf weed control

CURRENT

29-Oct-13

31-Mar-18

PER14351

DC-Tron Plus

Various bugs

CURRENT

24-Dec-13

31-Mar-21

PER14318

Metalaxyl-M

Damping off

CURRENT

23-Dec-13

30-Sep-22

PER14431

Rizolex Liquid

Bottom rot

CURRENT

21-Mar-14

30-Jun-22

PER81136

SWITCH FUNGICIDE

Anthracnose

CURRENT

12-Oct-15

30-Sep-18

PER14964

Chlorothalonil

Antracnose (shot hole)

CURRENT

21-Dec-14

30-Nov-19

PER14336

Prodigy

luster caterpillar, looper and light brown apple C moth

CURRENT

17-Dec-13

30-Sep-17

PER14650

Paramite (etoxazole)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

7-Nov-14

31-May-18

PER13170

Dimethoate

Various fruit fly species

CURRENT

13-Oct-11

30-Sep-20

Lettuce

Melons

116

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YOUR PRODUCTION

Permit No.

Description

Disease

Status

Issued date

Expiry date

PER14602

Boscalid, Iprodione & Chlorothalonil

Botrytis neck-rot

CURRENT

24-Jul-14

30-Sep-18

PER80282

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

CURRENT

16-Dec-14

30-Nov-17

Onions

PER14773

Basagran (bentazone-sodium)

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

16-Apr-14

30-Jun-18

PER13119

Diazinon

Onion thrips

CURRENT

6-Mar-12

31-Jul-18

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER14536

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

30-May-14

31-Dec-18

PER14858

Pendimethalin

Grasses and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

1-Apr-15

31-Mar-20

PER14184

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

CURRENT

1-Jul-13

30-Jun-22

PER11935

Triadimenol

Powdery mildew

CURRENT

5-Feb-10

30-Jun-22

PER14484

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

CURRENT

16-Apr-14

31-Mar-18

PER81196

Bifenthrin

Specified whitefly and mite species

CURRENT

8-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER81196

Bifenthrin

Specified whitefly and mite species

CURRENT

8-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER81196

Bifenthrin

Specified whitefly and mite species

CURRENT

8-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER84245

Movento 240 SC

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

7-Apr-17

28-Feb-20

PER14840

Bupirimate

Powdery mildew

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER82359

Pirimor (pirimicarb)

Aphids

CURRENT

5-Feb-16

31-Mar-21

PER14353

Rovral Aquaflo Fungicide (iprodione)

Sclerotinia rot

CURRENT

1-Jul-14

31-Mar-22

PER14454

Ridomil Gold MZ

Downy mildew

CURRENT

10-Mar-14

30-Jun-19

PER82341

Acramite Miticide (bifenazate)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

29-Mar-16

31-Mar-21

Calypso Insecticide

Mediterranean fruit fly

CURRENT

13-Dec-13

30-Nov-18

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER84245

Movento 240 SC

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

7-Apr-17

28-Feb-20

PER80344

Chlorpyrifos

lack Beetle, wingless grasshopper, red-legged B earth mite

CURRENT

2-Jan-15

30-Sep-20

PER14765

Hexythiazox (Calibre 100 EC miticide)

omato spider mite, two-spotted mite, broad T mite, tomato russet mite

CURRENT

21-Feb-15

31-Mar-18

PER10822

Sodium hypochlorite

Various insect and fungal pests

CURRENT

30-Jan-09

30-Nov-25

PER81241

Phenmedipham (Betanal)

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

29-May-15

31-May-20

PER14864

Pirimicarb

Aphids

CURRENT

11-Nov-14

30-Jun-19

PER14841

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER14456

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

30-Jun-19

PER11935

Triadimenol

Powdery mildew

CURRENT

5-Feb-10

30-Jun-22

PER13444

Propiconazole

Cercospora

CURRENT

1-Apr-12

31-May-22

PER13441

Ambush Emulsifiable Concentrate Insecticide

reen peach aphid, green looper, light brown G apple moth and budworms

CURRENT

11-Apr-12

31-Mar-27

PER13300

Abamectin

Broad mite

CURRENT

11-Oct-13

31-Dec-21

Paprika

Parsnip

Peas

Peppers

Pome fruit PER14562 Potatoes

Radicchio

Radish

Rhubarb

PER14212

Imidacloprid

Aphids

CURRENT

31-Oct-13

30-Jun-18

PER13152

MCPA 250 Selective Herbicide

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

4-Dec-11

30-Sep-21

WA Grower WINTER 2017

117

YOUR PRODUCTION

Permits (cont.)

Permit No.

Description

Disease

Status

Issued date

Expiry date

PER14493

Phos acid

Downy mildew

CURRENT

1-Jul-14

31-Jan-19

PER14864

Pirimicarb

Aphids

CURRENT

11-Nov-14

30-Jun-19

PER12008

PROPACHLOR

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

18-Jun-12

30-Nov-25

Rocket

Shallots PER14906

Triadimenol

White rot (sclerotium)

CURRENT

22-Oct-14

31-Oct-19

PER14484

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

CURRENT

16-Apr-14

31-Mar-18

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

23-Jul-12

30-Jun-22

PER12008

PROPACHLOR

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

18-Jun-12

30-Nov-25

PER14457

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

CURRENT

19-Mar-14

30-Jun-19

PER14471

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Various pests

CURRENT

30-May-14

31-Mar-19

PER14142

Ioxynil

Broad leaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

17-Oct-13

31-Mar-19

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

23-Jul-12

30-Jun-22

PER12008

PROPACHLOR

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

18-Jun-12

30-Nov-25

PER14494

Trifloxystrobin

DM, cercospora & septoria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Jun-19

PER14841

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER14456

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

30-Jun-19

Silverbeet

Snow peas and sugar snap peas PER14765

Hexythiazox (Calibre 100 EC miticide)

omato spider mite, two-spotted mite, broad T mite, tomato russet mite

CURRENT

21-Feb-15

31-Mar-18

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER14470

Mancozeb & Dimethomorph

Downy mildew

CURRENT

1-May-14

30-Apr-22

PER80954

METHOXYFENOZIDE

ative budworm, tomato grub and cluster N caterpillar

CURRENT

1-Oct-15

30-Sep-20

PER14892

Use registered\Pymetrozine (Chess Insecticide)

Aphid pests

CURRENT

6-Jan-15

31-May-22

PER14725

Paramite Selective Miticide

Tomato spider mites

CURRENT

22-Oct-14

30-Jun-18

PER14505

Pyrimethanil

Grey mould (botrytis)

CURRENT

1-Jul-14

30-Jun-19

Various insect pests

CURRENT

29-Mar-12

31-Mar-22

Potato moth

CURRENT

12-Jun-12

31-May-22

Success Neo Insecticide (spinetoram)

Various insect pests

CURRENT

29-Mar-12

31-Mar-22

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds.

CURRENT

23-Jul-12

30-Jun-22

PER12008

PROPACHLOR

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

18-Jun-12

30-Nov-25

PER14456

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

CURRENT

1-Apr-14

30-Jun-19

PER14494

Trifloxystrobin

DM, cercospora & septoria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Jun-19

PER81241

Phenmedipham (Betanal)

Broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

29-May-15

31-May-20

PER14841

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER14839

Zineb

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.)

CURRENT

1-Aug-14

30-Sep-19

PER14703

Tramat 500 SC Selective Herbicide (ethofumesate)

Various weeds

CURRENT

1-Aug-14

31-Jul-19

PER14906

Triadimenol

White rot (sclerotium)

CURRENT

22-Oct-14

31-Oct-19

PER14457

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

CURRENT

19-Mar-14

30-Jun-19

Specified alliums PER13088

Success Neo Insecticide (spinetoram)

Specified leafy vegetables PER13322

Success Neo (spinetoram)

Specified root vegetables PER13088 Spinach

Spring onions

118

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YOUR PRODUCTION

Permits (cont.)

Permit No.

Description

Disease

Status

Issued date

Expiry date

PER14484

Fluazifop

PER14142

Ioxynil

Grass weeds

CURRENT

16-Apr-14

31-Mar-18

Broad leaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

17-Oct-13

31-Mar-19

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

23-Jul-12

30-Jun-22

PER12008

PROPACHLOR

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

CURRENT

18-Jun-12

30-Nov-25

PER80282

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

CURRENT

16-Dec-14

30-Nov-17

PER14536

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

30-May-14

31-Dec-18

PER14842

Copper Oxychloride, Cuprous Oxide or Cupric Hydroxide

Downy mildew

CURRENT

1-Oct-14

30-Sep-19

PER14473

Dimethomorph & Mancozeb

Downy mildew, purple blotch & botrytis rots

CURRENT

18-Dec-13

30-Jun-18

PER14742

Methabenzthiazuron (Tribunil Herbicide)

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

CURRENT

1-Jul-14

30-Jun-21

PER14890

Methomyl (Lannate-L)

Western flower thrips

CURRENT

25-Nov-14

31-Oct-19

PER11935

Triadimenol

Powdery mildew

CURRENT

5-Feb-10

30-Jun-22

PER14337

Trifluralin

Weeds

CURRENT

10-Mar-14

30-Jun-20

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER14536

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

30-May-14

31-Dec-18

PER14474

Methoxyfenozide

Lepidopteran pests

CURRENT

25-Nov-14

31-Mar-19

PER84245

Movento 240 SC

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

7-Apr-17

28-Feb-20

PER82572

NIMITZ 480 EC NEMATICIDE

Root knot nematode

CURRENT

15-Apr-16

31-Jan-20

Swede

Sweet corn

Sweet potato

PER14864

Pirimicarb

Aphids

CURRENT

11-Nov-14

30-Jun-19

PER14484

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

CURRENT

16-Apr-14

31-Mar-18

PER13153

Regent 200 SC

White fringed weevil & wireworm

CURRENT

14-Dec-11

31-Dec-21

PER12047

Thiabendazole

Field rots caused by scurf & root rot

CURRENT

29-Jun-11

30-Sep-21

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER84245

Movento 240 SC

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

7-Apr-17

28-Feb-20

PER82341

Acramite Miticide (bifenazate)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

29-Mar-16

31-Mar-21

PER82509

APPLAUD INSECTICIDE

Greenhouse whitefly

CURRENT

13-Apr-16

31-May-17

PER81713

MAINMAN 500WG INSECTICIDE

Silverleaf whitefly

CURRENT

24-Mar-16

31-Mar-21

PER83990

METALAXYL-M

Fungal root rot

CURRENT

28-Feb-17

31-Dec-17

PER14725

Paramite Selective Miticide

Tomato spider mites

CURRENT

22-Oct-14

30-Jun-18

Tomatoes

Tomatoes (protected) PER80219

Apollo Miticide (clofentezine)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

18-Aug-15

31-Oct-19

PER80210

Pyrimethanil

Botrytis

CURRENT

13-Nov-14

30-Jun-20

PER80216

Torque Insecticide (fenbutatin oxide)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

31-Mar-18

PER14337

Trifluralin

Weeds

CURRENT

10-Mar-14

30-Jun-20

PER11935

Triadimenol

Powdery mildew

CURRENT

5-Feb-10

30-Jun-22

PYRETHRINS

Tomato potato psyllid

CURRENT

17-May-17

31-May-19

PER14722

Abamectin

Tomato red spider mite

CURRENT

17-Feb-15

30-Sep-20

PER82341

Acramite Miticide (bifenazate)

Two-spotted mite

CURRENT

29-Mar-16

31-Mar-21

Turnip

Vegetables PER84442 Zucchini

WA Grower WINTER 2017

119

WA Grower ADVERTISING SPECIFICATIONS

Preferred format: press ready PDF

FULL PAGE Full page with bleed 210mm(W) x 297mm(H) plus 3mm bleed — 216mm(W) x 303mm(H)

Must be saved as: • 300dpi • CMYK • Fonts embedded

HALF PAGE Half page without bleed 190mm(W) x 130mm(H)

vegetablesWA Horticultural House 103 Outram Street, West Perth 6005

t: (08) 9481 0834 e: finance@vegetableswa.com.au

ONE THIRD PAGE One third page without bleed 190mm(W) x 80mm(H) or 60mm(W) x 254mm(H) WA Grower advertiser contacts Name

Website/Email

Agrimaster (p26)

www.agrimaster.com.au

Bentonite WA (p5)

www.bentonitewa.com.au

Centrewest Insurance Brokers (p73)

www.centrewest.com.au

Clause Pacific (p101)

kevin.swan@hmclause.com

C-Wise (p81)

www.cwise.com.au

Dobmac Ag Machinery (pOBC)

www.dobmac.com.au

drumMUSTER (p57)

www.drummuster.org.au

edp australia pty ltd (p105)

www.edp.com.au

Felice Tati (p89) Growise (pIFC)

Address

0418 140 929 PO Box 636, Balcatta WA 6914

Gavin Statham

08 9439 7900

Kevin Swan

0400 622 314

Nambeelup Rod, Nambeelup WA 6207

David Howey

08 9581 9582

36-38 Industrial Drive, Ulverstone, TAS 7315

Mark Dobson

03 6425 5533

31-37 OBrien Street, Mooroopna VIC 3269

Mick Schirmer

0437 252 122

3 Pappas Street, Wangara WA 6065

Felice Tati

(08) 9409 5777

1800 008 707

0411 086 292 Level 8, 1 Chifley Square, Sydney NSW 2000

Madec (p85)

www.harvesttrail.gov.au

Mirco (p82)

www.mircobros.com.au

Neutrog (p56)

www.neutrog.com.au

Organic 2000 (p9)

www.organic2000.com.au

59 Safari Place, Carabooda, WA 6033

Paliz Agriculture (p50)

www.paliz.com.au

21 / 110 Inspiration Drive Wangara WA 6065

Protected Cropping Australia (p38)

www.protectedcroppingaustralia.com

120

WA Grower WINTER 2017

02 8295 2300 1800 062 332 (08) 9410 2233 Brian Klepzig

0417 580 817 (08) 9407 5182

Hossein Darvish

08 9303 9638 (02) 9907 6633

Sandgroper Seed Potatoes (p53)

David Fox service@wacrates.com.au

Contact number 1800 110 000

www.growise.com.au

Horticulture Innovation Australia (pIBC) www.horticulture.com.au

WA Crates (p51)

Contact name

Crate Yard, Market City

0457 370 784 (08) 9456 4092

JUMP ON BOARD BECOME A MEMBER NOW MEMBERSHIP IS FREE AND KEEPS YOU IN THE LOOP OF THE INNOVATIONS HAPPENING IN YOUR INDUSTRY. IT’S EASY TO APPLY AND ONLY TAKES A FEW MINUTES AT WWW.HORTICULTURE.COM.AU/MEMBERSHIP OR CALL 1300 880 981 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

ONION GRADING & PACKING SOLUTIONS M & P Onion Peelers • Small Peeler for 18-45mm Onions or Shallots • Large Peeler for Onions over 45mm • Stainless Steel Construction • Variable Speed Drive • Dry Peeling Process

• Manual Orientation of Onions • Adjustable Operator Station • 415v 3 Phase 50 Hz • Unique Peeling System

Baxmatic®

Fully automated Bagging System Combination Weighing Scale (Optional)

• High capacity (up to 1200 bags/hr) • Quick start-up & changes • Automatic bag placement • Automatic sewing & closing • Bag sizes from 2.5kg to 50kg • Heavy duty construction • Integrated labelling • Online support system • 12 & 16 Head Combination Scales • Up to 1500 scale movements per hour

Turn Key Pack House Solutions • Onion Toppers • Pre Sizers • Intake Hoppers • Dirt Separation • Inspection Tables • Box/Big Bag Fillers • 5-25kg Baggers • Semi & Fully Automatic Palletisers

36-38 Industrial Drive (PO Box 93) Ulverstone TASMANIA. 7315 AUSTRALIA Phone: (03) 6425 5533 Fax: (03) 6425 5847

PO Box 1021, Pukekohe.

New Zealand Phone: 0272 907 281

Email: dobmac@dobmac.com.au Website: www.dobmac.com.au A leader in the design, manufacture & supply of specialised agricultural machinery