This state election Queensland farmers are calling on the next government to commit to getting serious about developing an approach that properly addresses planning and protection of our prime agricultural land. Currently, the protection of prime agricultural land from urban encroachment, rezoning, large-scale solar energy projects and other competing land uses is inconsistent, short si...

Quad bikes have been responsible for 114 deaths in Australia from 2011 to October 2017. Seventeen of these deaths were children under the age of 16. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is investigating quad bike safety, and considering the merits of implementing a safety standard for quad bikes. As part of this process, the ACCC has released the Quad Bike Safety I...

One thing is clear from the results of the 2017 Farm Biosecurity Producer Survey: you are working together more than ever before to secure your farms against all manner of biosecurity threats. When 1200 producers across Australia were interviewed it was discovered that two-thirds of them, regardless of what they farm, share the responsibility for monitoring their crops and livestock for...

Biosecurity officers in South Australia recently set up a random road block near Blanchetown, to stop and inspect vehicles for fruit and vegetables which can carry fruit fly. Over two days, a total of 78 written cautions were issued by PIRSA staff after inspecting 500 vehicles. Rod Turner, General Manager for Risk Management at Plant Health Australia and chair of the Subcommittee on Do...

A worker sustained a serious spinal injury in October 2017 while travelling as a passenger in a troop carrier on a fruit and vegetable farm. The worker was in the back of the four wheel drive which rolled over after the driver lost control. The vehicle was carrying seven people, two in the front, three in the back and two riding on the roof rack. The passengers on the roof were thrown c...