Porter Novelli Adelaide

Applications are invited for the next course of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, which will commence from May 2009. The program, supported by growers and the Australian Government through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), is open to men and women already active in leadership roles in the community or industry affairs who want to help shape the future of rural and regional Australia. Applications close on July 31, 2008. For more information contact the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation on (02) 6281 0680 or visit www.rural-leaders.com.au.

Cult natural personal care brand Burt’s Bees is taking the ‘natural’ challenge to the market with a Lip Balm Amnesty offer to all visitors to this year’s Sydney Organics Show, July 25-27 at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.

To spread the word about their arrival in Australia, and to put a spotlight on the debate around the term ‘natural’, Burt’s Bees will exchange one old lip balm for a Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, free of petrochemicals, synthetic preservatives, chemical sunscreens, phthalates, artificial flavours or colours.

 “The Sydney Organics Show is one of the best showcases for organic and natural products in the country”, Burt’s Bees Australia General Manager Emma Bird said.

“We think it is an ideal opportunity to help consumers get to grips with what the term ‘natural’ really means when it’s used in relations to personal care products,” Ms Bird said.

“We know from extensive consumer studies that people are confused about the definition of the word ‘natural’ as it relates to personal care, and we know that consumers are concerned about making the right choices,” she said. Read the rest of this entry »

High profile national law firm Piper Alderman has signalled plans to increase their longstanding   commitment to the agribusiness sector by stepping up as a state sponsor in South Australia for the Agribusiness Association of Australia.

Partner Simon Venus said the decision is a natural one for a firm whose own history is so intertwined with South Australia’s agribusiness beginnings.

 “With our origins dating from the 1840s, Piper Alderman is one of the oldest legal firms in South Australia and from the earliest days the firm has acted for primary producers and the great pastoral houses that helped establish the state’s regional communities and underpin its economy,” Mr Venus said. “For over 160 years we have been advising clients in the agribusiness sector in Australia,” he said.

The Agribusiness Association of Australia aims to facilitate communication across the agri-food chain and to promote the contribution made by agribusiness to the Australian economy and community. The Association offers regular presentations on emerging trends and opportunities for members to hear from expert advisers, and a weekly emailed news digest service to keep members in touch. Read the rest of this entry »

Protection of Australia’s honeybee population and plant-based agricultural industries will be the focus of a seminar in South Australia next week, featuring national and international pollination experts.

The “pollination at the crossroads” information day will underline the importance of preventing the introduction into Australia of exotic pests and diseases which pose a significant risk to honeybees and the crops and plants they pollinate.

Honeybees are responsible for the resulting production of around one-third of the food Australians eat, and the value of pollination by managed honeybees to the Australian economy is estimated to be $1.7 billion. Australia is the last place on earth where honeybees exist in a largely pest and disease-free environment.

However, the future viability of Australia’s plant-based food industries could seriously be threatened, should the Varroa Mite and other pests make their way into the country. Bee populations elsewhere in the world have dwindled significantly in recent times as a result of a phenomenon that has been labelled Colony Collapse Disorder. Research is pointing at several potential causes for the disappearance of bees, however, an exact cause has yet to be determined. Read the rest of this entry »