- QFF is pleased to welcome Sparke Helmore Lawyers as our latest QFF Corporate Partner. Sparke Helmore recently welcomed Kylie Wilson as a partner in the firm’s Corporate & Commercial team who is a highly regarded lawyer with experience in corporate, commercial, dispute resolution as well as litigation. Learn more about why Sparke Helmore are partnering with QFF here.
- The new Queensland Business Energy Saving and Transformation – Agriculture (QBEST Ag) initiative will be delivered by QFF in partnership with the Queensland Government. The project will provide free on-farm energy audits to Queensland farmers, with subsequent case studies and other resources being published on a new Ag Energy Information Hub website. Read more here.
- QFF members Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers, CANEGROWERS Australia and Cotton Australia’s stands were attractive destinations at this year’s EKKA festival, with members having the opportunity to discuss sustainability and trade with a range of key stakeholders including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Trade Minister Don Farrell, Agriculture Minister Senator Murray Watt, and Queensland Agriculture Minister Mark Furner.
- QFF’s EnergySQ project partners ACCIONA Energía are hosting a free site tour of their MacIntyre wind farm on 10 September. Register here. The EnergySQ program supports growers and producers in the Southern Downs and Goondiwindi regional council areas to reduce their on-farm energy consumption.
- A historic $130 million horticulture trade program, the Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance (FASTA), from the federal horticulture Research and Development Corporation, Hort Innovation, and DAF Queensland was announced this week. FASTA aims to deliver robust and timely datasets to underpin market access negotiations and increase understanding of fruit fly and other key pests. Learn more here.
- Somerset Regional Council is hosting two free Farm Succession and Estate Planning workshops on 5 September in Kilcoy and 6 September in Esk. The workshops are being delivered by Kylie Wilson, Partner at Sparke Helmore Lawyers. Register here.
- The Queensland Department of Resources has published an updated Land Access Code based on a review into land access and coexistence. The Department has also released a policy position outlining proposed reforms to coexistence institutions. Read it here.
- The Australian Government’s DAFF Biosecurity Animal Division have released a new report Australia’s freedom from lumpy skin disease, reiterating claims that Australia is free from infection following recent concerns raised by trading partners Indonesia and Malaysia. Read it here.
- The current National Drought Agreement (NDA), signed by the federal government and all states and territories in 2018, will expire in 2024. A new draft agreement based on the recommendations from a 2022 review of the NDA has been released for consultation. Have your say by 1 September here.
- The Queensland Government has announced $160 million in new funding for regional Queensland including investment in industry training programs to be delivered by QFF. Read more here.