newsletter-february

Welcome to the latest edition of the Melon e-newsletter. In this edition you will find more details about our past and upcoming Roadshows, updates on new and continuing Melons Australia projects, varroa mite transition to management and what this means for our industry, and other industry news including international trade missions, grants and scholarships available, and upcoming events.

Melons Australia Roadshows 2024- Fresh Tracks

In February, the Melons Australia team has been active across the country, notably with the successful continuation of our 2023/24 roadshow series in Waroona and Carnarvon, Western Australia last week. We appreciate the participation and positive engagement of over 70 individuals across our amazing melon industry.

We also acknowledge the continued support of the Hort Innovation Melon Fund to conduct these valued events. April 2024 will see more roadshow events throughout North Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia (more information in the article below). We encourage everyone to come along and join us at a roadshow event near you.

Update on Varroa mite transition to management

Our efforts in managing the Varroa destructor incursion have moved forward, with the National Management Group endorsing the Transition to Management plan. Further information is available in the article 'Varroa Transition to Management plan' below, and on the NSW DPI website HERE.

Advocacy

In advocacy, we are addressing concerns over the proposed Biosecurity Protection Levy, now suggested to be based on a percentage of industry GVP, which unfavourably impacts our industry. For more details and to support our advocacy efforts, please contact me by email HERE directly.

In February, we (Melons Australia) also submitted our insights to the Senate Select Committee on Supermarket Pricing (Submission number 100 HERE), reflecting our sector's perspectives. Our submission is available to download as a pdf and read HERE. Thank you to our members and industry contacts who provided insight to populate our submission on behalf of the Australian melon industry.

Melons Australia in Japan this week

This week, I will be representing our sector at Foodex, Japan (5-8 March 2024), aiming to enhance our international market presence. We look forward to meeting new and existing international partners and markets and will provide you all with an update in our next newsletter.

Upcoming Melons Australia USA Study Tour

Excitingly coming up fast is the August 2024 Melons Australia USA Study Tour. We encourage all our members and stakeholders interested in joining with us on this trip to register their expression of interest to me as soon as possible. A bigger announcement outlining finer details of this trip will be communicated in the coming month so please register your interest with me to keep updated by email HERE.

Melons Australia membership

We at Melons Australia remain committed to bolstering the Australian melon industry's advocacy, profitability, and productivity. For current members, please look out for your renewal invoice. If you're considering joining us, we'd love to hear from you. Together, we can ensure a thriving future for our industry.

Need Further information?

As always, please reach out to me, Johnathon Davey, Executive Officer Melons Australia on Email here or by phone +61 407 032 023 should you need to discuss anything.

Varroa Transition to Management plan

As is now widely known, in September 2023 Varroa destructor was deemed to be not technically feasible to eradicate from Australia.

As a result, the national varroa mite response, being led by the NSW Government has now entered a transition to management phase. The scope of the transition to management phase will be to:

ensure an orderly stand-down of emergency response operational activities in NSW, while supporting other States and Territories for the future spread,
slow the spread of Varroa destructor,

build industry resilience to the pest, largely through training and best practice management,
provide management options including Integrated Pest Management (IPM) recommendations and chemical control options, and
support pollination security.

A summary document is currently under development that will provide more detail as to how the transition to management plan will achieve these objectives. This will be circulated by Melons Australia to industry as soon as available.

Some of the aspects that we feel are specifically important to the melon industry and need to be highlighted are:

There are no trade restrictions on melons in terms of interstate borders or export.
There may be restrictions on movement of bees and beekeeping equipment between states – especially from states where varroa has been detected into those states where it has not.
- To date there have only been detections (related to this incursion) in NSW. For links to requirements in each state please contact Melons Australia.
A revised upper limit on shared expenditure of the entire response has recently been agreed at $100m.
- The Varroa destructor response being recategorised from a category 3 to a category 2 pest last year has resulted in industry (including both beekeepers and pollinated cropping industries) being liable for 20% of the total shared costs.
- This equates to the melon industry contributing 1.03% of the total cost sharable amount. This is in the order of $1.03m.
Melons Australia was instrumental in facilitating the recategorisation process and the ultimate reduction in liability to industry members.
We have been working with Plant Health Australia (PHA) to support the industries contribution being paid out of existing PHA levy collections. To date this is proving positive and is the direction we are progressing.
- However, we note that this of course does not allow for costs being covered for any possible future incursions that will impact and potentially incur response costs for the industry.
- If a future incursion requires contribution from the Melon industry then we will need to engage with levy payers on measures to cover any additional costs.

So, what do you need to do?

It is really important that melon growers encourage their beekeepers to engage with the education and hive management program that is being rolled out as part of the Varroa destructor Transition to Management Plan.

This will underpin the work to ensure the spread of varroa is as slow as possible and pollinated industries including melons will have access to managed hives for pollination into the future.

This education piece will include changes to beekeeper requirements as well as best practice management practices. If your beekeepers are unsure as to where to access this information, please email Joanna Embry, Melons Australia Biosecurity Officer HERE.

For the most up to date information on the response you can also click HERE.

Melons Australia 2024 Roadshow events

Melons Australia is excited to announce the next regions in our 2023/24 Roadshow, bringing together industry stakeholders and members, that kickstarted with great success in Western Australia in February!

Here's a glimpse of the schedule for upcoming key locations:

Tully, QLD: Monday 22 April 2024
Kununurra, WA: Friday 26 April 2024
Katherine, NT: Monday 29 April 2024
Bundaberg, QLD: POSTPONED - date to be confirmed

We're looking forward to seeing you at our 2024 roadshow events and engaging in fruitful discussions and activities that enhance our vibrant melon industry! For registration for the roadshows or to get more info the please contact Courtney Archer, Melons Australia Communications Officer by email HERE.

2024 Melon Study Tour project to the Americas

In December 2023, Melons Australia was awarded a 3-year Melon Study Tour project, funded by the Hort Innovation Melon Levy. We are now beginning to plan for the first study tour, which is currently slated for visiting the USA in mid-August 2024.

Please contact Johnathon via email to express your interest to participate as soon as possible HERE.

The study tours will include grower and supply chain visits, technology advancements, retail tours and many more stops.

New Melon Sustainability Project

Melons Australia is excited to partner with thinkstep-anz to benchmark the environmental performance of melon production in Australia. The project - Strengthening the sustainability of melon production (VM23001) - is funded through the Hort Innovation Melon Fund using Melon levies and aims to understand the environmental impact of melon production, including the carbon and water footprint.

The study will inform future strategic industry investments and will support the long-term sustainability of Australian melon producers into domestic and export markets. The project is funded by Hort Innovation using the melon research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

To gather the benchmark data, we are looking for melon producers willing to volunteer their time and knowledge to the project keeping in mind that it is important that as an industry we get on the front foot when it comes to sustainable production. If you are interested in being involved, please contact Joanna Embry at Melons Australia by email HERE.

Melons Australia Leadership Training – Sign up for 2024

Melons Australia, in partnership with the Hort Innovation Melon Fund, continues to offer training and leadership development opportunities for the industry.

We have six courses currently available, targeted at entry level leadership right through to established leaders there is no better time to take up this opportunity. For more information about the courses available and the process to apply please visit the webpage Melon Industry leadership and development programs HERE.

Participants of the leadership program will also be strongly encouraged and considered for participation in the Melon USA study tour program which will also kick off in 2024.

In recent developments, we have conducted a strategic review of the program and as a result we are building a level of flexibility into the program, so if there are any training and development courses that are of interest to you then we are willing to consider these.

For more information or to discuss the existing or new training opportunities you might require, please contact Joanna Embry by email HERE.

Melon Grower International Trade Mission Opportunities 2024

Melons Australia is pleased to be working with AUSVEG, under the multi-industry export project, to support and coordinate grower participation in several international trade exhibitions throughout 2024. Opportunities are present in the following:

FHA F&B: 23 – 26 April 2024, Singapore Expo.
AUSVEG Export Fresh Produce Showcase: 3 June 2024, Melbourne, Victoria (pre-Hort Connections).
Asia Fruit Logistica: 4 – 6 September 2024, Asia World Expo, Hong Kong.
There will also be a Reverse Trade Mission towards the end of May/June 2024 to various growing locations across Australia.

If you would like more information or would like to register your interest to get involved, don't hesitate to contact Johnathon, Melons Australia’s Executive Officer by email HERE.

New DAFF Plant Export Industry Advice Notice

The Industry Advice Notice 2024-10: Plant Export Operations – Change to RFP requirements for protocol horticulture consignments to New Zealand - DAFF (agriculture.gov.au) is now available on the department’s website.

For further information regarding this IAN please email the Horticulture Exports Program HERE.

Grants to enhance agriculture exports

Applications are open for the third round of the Australian Government’s Agricultural Traceability Grants Program.

The grant will support opportunities to secure value-added benefits for agricultural industries, deliver improved traceability outcomes, and provide national leadership.

Activities will also support effective responses to biosecurity outbreaks and changing market and consumer requirements.

Visit Agricultural Traceability Grants for more information HERE.

Applications close on Monday, 18 March 2024.

Research Survey: Carbon farming

The Australian Melon Association is sharing a Federation University, Australia, survey on "Carbon farming: role and implications for broadacre agriculture" with our members. Led by Ph.D. candidate Kashif Khaqan and funded by the Ararat Rural City Council, Victoria, the research aims to collect farmers' perceptions on carbon farming to understand its potential integration into broadacre agriculture. The study is supported by Federation University Australia and the Destination Australia Scholarship.

The success of this research depends on the insights from farmers, and we are reaching out to our melon growing members to participate in this brief 10-minute survey that is approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Federation University Australia (project reference no 2023-204). We encourage our members to take the survey contribute their valuable perspectives to this significant study. For any further information please contact Kashif Khaqan by email here.

TAKE SURVEY HERE

Women in farming and agriculture eligible for leadership development scholarships

Available Now: Partial scholarships for women in Farming and Agriculture ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per person, for one of four leadership and workplace skill development programs.

These scholarships are aimed at encouraging more women to increase their impact at work, progress their career, and step into leadership roles.

Registrations of interest close on 22nd March 2024 via the women in leadership Australia website here.

Grower Funding Available for HC24!

Great news for horticulture growers!

You can now apply for funding of up to $1,000 to attend Hort Connections 2024, the largest horticulture conference and trade show in the Southern Hemisphere. The funding helps cover accommodation, flights, and attendance costs.

Apply now to secure your spot, as funding is limited. Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to connect with other leading growers and industry suppliers.

Here is What You Need to Apply

Each levy-paying business can nominate one grower to receive up to $1,000 to help attend the conference. Please send the necessary documents by email here to Alex Lashchuk to secure funding:

A recent copy of your Levy Remittance Advice document or proof of horticulture levy payments,
Hort Connections Grower Conference Access pass, Perfection Fresh Breakfast and Hort Connections Gala Dinner ticket receipts,
Corporate Traveller flights/accommodation booking confirmation document.

$3.3 million boost for rural agricultural businesses

Rural businesses in the Queensland primary production sector can submit an expression of interest for round 6 of the Rural Economic Development Grants scheme.

The co-contribution grants of up to $200,000 will continue to strengthen primary production sectors and bolster jobs in rural and regional communities.

For more information visit QRIDA HERE.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily: transition to recovery

Financial recovery assistance is available for Queensland primary producers impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily. Assistance includes:

concessional loans of up to $250,000
essential working capital loans of up to $100,000 at a concessional interest rate
freight assistance of up to $5,000.

Assistance covers the following local government areas: Boulia, Burdekin, Burke, Charters Towers, Moreton Bay, Cloncurry, Doomadgee, Etheridge, Lockyer Valley, McKinlay, Mount Isa, Richmond, Townsville, Western Downs, and Winton.

If anyone has suffered significant damage outside of the activated areas, they can apply for an Individual Disaster Stricken Property (IDSP) declaration to access this assistance HERE.

If you have been affected and haven't done so already, we urge you to report farm damage and losses via the DAFQ Disaster Impact Survey here 👉 https://brnw.ch/21wGxiB

For updates, visit the DAFQ website HERE or call 13 25 23.

Next round of Industry Biosecurity Response Readiness Training

DAFQ are pleased to announce the next round of industry biosecurity response readiness training for growers in Queensland.

The comprehensive training is intended for all staff, elected officials and emerging leaders of agricultural peak industry bodies and will cover:

How biosecurity incident responses are activated at a state and national level, including management and funding arrangements
The role of peak bodies in a biosecurity incident response and how they collaborate with government during an incident
The potential impacts of a biosecurity incident for industry stakeholders
How industry representative bodies can prepare for their role in a biosecurity incident response.

Online via Microsoft Teams

12 & 13 March (7-9pm both nights)
9 April (TBC)

Face to face

Bundaberg – 18 March
Rockhampton – 20 March
Townsville – 22 March
Brisbane – 5 & 16 April

Additional information - For online sessions, you will receive Microsoft Teams meeting invites closer to the respective dates. All face-to-face sessions will run from 9am until 2pm, with lunch and light refreshments provided. Venue details will be communicated via calendar invite as soon as they are confirmed.

Stay updated

We understand schedules may change – we will keep you informed of any updates or changes to the schedule.

Should you have any inquiries or need further assistance, please feel free to contact Cameron Durnsford by email HERE.

Fair Talk by Fair Farms webinar

Join host Amanda Higgins and guest, Executive Director - Enforcement, Fair Work Ombudsman, Steven Ronson, as they discuss topics such as:

Trends and Outlook of Fair Work Ombudsman activities in the Horticulture & Viticulture Sectors
Regions and Hot-Spots for Non-Compliance
Opportunities for improvement in these Sectors
Labour Hire Providers and Fair Work Compliance

When : Wednesday, 6th March, 2024
Time : 12.00PM AEST
Where : Online as per the registration link

To attend this event and submit any questions for consideration, please click HERE.

Industry Liaison Officer Training 2024

Plant Health Australia (PHA) is set to conduct Industry Liaison Officer (ILO) training sessions in 2024 at these locations:

Northern Territory on 15 May 2024.
Victoria and Queensland in late 2024 (Dates to be confirmed).

These sessions aim to train ILOs to act as a critical link between the Incident Management Team and the affected industry, especially during exotic pest incursions in the cropping sector.

Key outcomes to be achieved through this training include

aiding decision-making in response centres,
advising on industry impacts, and
supporting communication and engagement activities.

Melon growers are encouraged to participate to ensure representation in case of incursions affecting melons.

Interested in enrolling or want more info? Contact Joanna Embry by email HERE.

Hort Connections 2024

Hort Connections – Australia and New Zealand’s largest horticulture conference and trade show – is coming to Melbourne in 2024!

Why attend Hort Connections 2024?

Professional Development: Hear from world-class experts on a range of topics including transformative research, global innovations, consumption trends and export development.
Networking: Interact with the largest cohort of industry stakeholders in the horticulture sector.
Recognition: Celebrate the outstanding achievements of the Horticulture Awards for Excellence 2024.
Trade Show: Grow your connections and supply contacts at the largest trade show in Australian and New Zealand horticulture, with exhibitors from more than 200 industry-leading companies showcasing the latest products and services.

Machinery for Sale - Chinchilla Qld

The following Items are for sale near Chinchilla, Queensland. The owner is willing to negotiate flexible payment options for the purchase and may be willing to part sell. Price negotiable.

2005 ICOEL Compac single lane grader
Stark Engineering Packing Plant
500kg capacity Bin Tipper
Fruit Wash Line

For more information, contact details for the seller, and photos please go to the Melons Australia website listing HERE.

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