Over 20 staff from the department, including some from the Plant Protection Office went on a three-day industry field tour of Crookwell and the Riverina facilitated both by AUSVEG, the industry representative body for vegetable and potato growers and Chris Percival from the Biosecurity Plant and Science Services Division within the department.
The tour was a key stakeholder engagement tool to build and strengthen relationships between industry and government, providing up-close exposure for those in policy roles to see and learn from farming businesses. Departmental staff gained a deeper understanding of industry challenges, including supply chain issues, market access, climate change and management of biosecurity risks. Staff were able to learn firsthand about the importance of good on-farm biosecurity and pest management practices.
“These field visits were a great learning opportunity to get exposure to the horticulture industry, particularly for those staff that did not have an agricultural background,” said Dr Gabrielle Vivian-Smith.
The tour provided valuable insights into soil health, environmental sustainability, regenerative agriculture and intensive farming systems. Staff visited and learnt about:
- Sustainable and regenerative farming at Kadwell & Co Gourmet Potatoes in Crookwell;
- Intensive vegetable, fruit and cucurbit farming at Rombola, Harvest Moon and Rinaland farms in the Riverina; and
- Irrigated cotton production and land management practices in the Riverina
Staff also visited the Biosecurity Training Centre at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga to learn about the vision and purpose of the centre to provide operational biosecurity training to build a capable biosecurity workforce across the Asia-Pacific.
The team came back with a better understanding of the challenges of farming including on-farm food waste due to a lack of acceptance of nutritious and edible food that looks imperfect from the supply chain. Policy makers and regulators developed a deeper appreciation of the excellence and innovation of Australian growers that efficiently produce quality food for national and international markets.
