21 June 2024

Brought to you by Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor www.olivebiz.com.au

Today's Top Story

Rising temperatures enable farmers to produce olive oil in Germany

Due to rising global temperatures, the first hobby farmers in Germany have started growing olive groves, which are on track to becoming profitable in the future.

Australia

Bird flu detected on New South Wales poultry farm as Victoria continues to battle its own outbreak

Bird flu has been detected in New South Wales. (ABC News: Morgan Timms)

A New South Wales poultry farm is under quarantine following a detection of bird flu. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries has confirmed an outbreak of HPAI H7N8 strain of avian influenza in the Greater Sydney Basin. The virus was detected on the egg farm in the Hawkesbury district.

If you’ve got chooks or other poultry, please be vigilant and report any sign of bird flu.

Have your say on Olive Industry Communications and Extension program

The Australian Olive Association (AOA) operates a communications and extension program for the benefit of our industry as an R&D project under the Hort Innovation-run Olive Fund.

They need your feedback from time to time to help measure the impact of the program and ensure that each of the resources is delivering benefits for producers. Collected via an annual survey, your input also assists in identifying opportunities to improve industry communications and activities.

The survey asks questions about various aspects of the communications and extension program. All answers remain confidential and will only be reported as aggregated numbers or anonymous comments.

If you have yet to take this year’s survey, the AOA would greatly appreciate your participation. It only takes five minutes and your input is important to help shape future content and activities under the program.

You can access the survey here.

This survey is part of the ongoing project Olive industry communications and extension program (OL22000), a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Olive Fund, promoting world-best practice in grove management and extending the outcomes of R&D investments to the olive industry to increase productivity, quality and profitability.

Lithium-ion batteries are causing more than 10,000 fires a year in Australia. Waste chiefs say an 'urgent' management plan is needed

The waste and recycling industry says it's fighting up to 12,000 fires a year caused by discarded lithium-ion batteries and has warned that consumers will ultimately pay for the crisis without change.

An important reminder to think carefully when you’re disposing of anything which may have a built-in battery, and to use best practice when charging batteries or battery-operated appliances.

Got something to sell? Or want to buy? Go direct to your target market – olive growers and producers

If you’ve got something industry-related to sell, you can reach your target market directly with Olivebiz Classifieds. Our online Classifieds service is an easy and inexpensive solution to advertising your unwanted equipment. And if there’s something you’re looking for, it’s the ideal way to get the message out loud and clear to your peers and industry associates – the most likely to have what you need.

Olivebiz Classifieds cost just $40 for AOA members ($100 for non-members), including a text ad and link through to either your web page or images hosted on our site. And you don’t need to be a tech-head: just send us your info and we’ll post it up for you.

Olivebiz Classifieds are online now at www.olivebiz.com.au/classifieds. To arrange a listing, contact Gerri at editor@olivegrower.com.au.

Wyndham olives to become oil

Olives to Oil, the community-driven event that transforms neighbourhood olives into delicious extra virgin olive oil, is coming to Wyndham next weekend. Sunday June 23 is Olives to Oil festival day at Werribee Park Community Garden in Werribee South, with demonstration olive oil pressing, tastings and sales of offer, as well as as well as live music and food stalls and lots of free activities for the kids.

Another great initiative, taking olive oil to the people!

Rabbit population explodes after rain with thousands shot each night to stop them eating crops

Professional shooters are killing thousands of feral rabbits each night as numbers explode on NSW farms. Farmers say they are losing up to $50,000 worth of produce to rabbits.

Victorian independent dairy says Coles shunning its milk after supermarket giant was refused bigger profit share

Co-founders of Gippsland Jersey Sallie Jones and Steve Ronalds say they are paying the price for refusing Coles a bigger cut of profits. (Supplied: Gippsland Jersey)

A small Victorian milk company says supermarket giant Coles has removed its products from 65 Victorian stores in retribution for refusing to give the supermarket a bigger profit margin.

However …

Coles and Woolies say they're not to blame for high prices

The supermarket duopoly says its profit margins are tiny and competition is strong.

Opportunities

CSIRO opens innovation program to SMEs in clean energy

Applications are now open for small to medium-sized enterprises working on innovative technologies and solutions in the clean energy sector.

Innovate to Grow: Clean Energy is a free 10-week program to investigate R&D opportunities.

Applications close 23 June. Find out more and apply here.

Have your say: National Action Plan for Pests of Trees and Timber

Plant Health Australia (PHA) has been working with a diverse group of stakeholders to develop a National Action Plan for Pests of Trees and Timber. The Plan describes the priority areas for a national approach for prevention, detection, response and cross-cutting issues related to exotic pests threatening Australian timber and trees.

Public consultation is now open via the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s Have Your Say page.

You can provide your feedback here until Friday, 5 July.

Or to learn more about the project, please contact forest_admin@phau.com.au.

Events

Entries now open for 2024 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA)

Australia’s premier olive competition, with international status and recognition, the 2024 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA) is now open for entries.

Benefits of entering the AIOA include:

Entries assessed and awarded on merit by a team of internationally trained judges.
All entrants receive comprehensive judging feedback.
Successful judging provides eligibility for OliveCare® certification.
Unprecedented opportunity for international recognition of winning products and producers.
The comprehensive Results Book is sent out to all entrants and stakeholders, providing an impressive marketing tool for all medal and award winners.

· The opportunity to purchase the professional product images from the Results Book at only $35 plus GST – a fraction of the price of your own professional photography.

New for 2024 …

This year’s competition offers even more benefits for entrants, including a Producer Index Listing in the Results Book to help buyers and consumers find your award-winning products. The listing will also be accessible as a reference page on the Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Everyday website

There are also new decals for Best of Class and Best of Show winners, and a Platinum Medal has been introduced to recognise exceptionally high-scoring entries.

Find out more and enter here, or if you need assistance with your entries please contact Competition Convenor & Chief Steward Trudie Michels on 0419 031 527 or aioa@australianolives.com.au.

Webinar recording: Fair Talk by Fair Farms - work, healthy and safety on farms

Learn more about the importance of safety on your farm and available tools and resources via this webinar recording with host Amanda Higgins and guest speaker Stevi Howdle, Executive Officer of Farmsafe Australia.

Covering all things work, healthy and safety on farms, this is the fourth episode of the Fair Talk by Fair Farms series, and can be accessed here.

Contract Olive Pruning - Riverland Pruning & Harvest

All aspects of olive pruning - tree training, re-shaping,

re-juvenate, pruning for shaker or hand harvesting.

All tools supplied.

Fully licensed and insured.

Over 20 years’ experience.

Servicing SA, WA, NSW, WA & TAS.

Contact Rajab – 0469 718 719

rajabnassiri510@yahoo.com

International

Report reveals growing number of olive producers in Northern Italy

Olive farming is shifting north in Italy as sustainability in a changing climate guides new ventures. Organic growing is also on the rise.

Greek olive oil producers reject bulk sales, thrive in export market

They knew the easy way. They could have effortlessly sent their oil in bulk to Italy. But they didn’t choose that path. Instead, they decided to bottle their extra-virgin olive oil locally and export almost all of it abroad. And their decision is paying off.

A really interesting read about very different market structures and practices.

Olive oil shortage 'delicate dance' for cash-strapped restaurants

Canadian restaurants that rely on what is being called "liquid gold" as the backbone of their menu are being forced to eat a massive extra cost during a worldwide olive oil shortage. "We're Mediterranean, it's just like a fish needs water."

We so appreciate a restaurant owner who says that “switching to a cheaper alternative is not an option."

Friday Olive Extracts – send us YOUR news

We’re now well into 2024 and Friday Olive Extracts (FOE) team continues to bring all the latest industry news and events to your Inbox every week. THE place to share olive industry news, event details and reminders, our industry e-newsletter keeps growing in popularity and we now have nearly 4000 subscribers across the globe. If you’re not one of them, you can sign up here.

And please remember that FOE is YOUR e-newsletter, so we’re keen to receive your news and help spread the word. Just email your information to Editor Gerri Nelligan at editor@olivegrower.com.au - it’s free, and the best way to reach your fellow industry members!

Summer concerts among centenary olive trees return this month

Image: Olivar de Castillejo Foundation

The Olivar de Castillejo Foundation will host nearly 40 chamber music concerts among olive trees from June 26 to August 31.

Another way to take olives to the people …

Landmark agreement places the World Olive Germplasm Bank of Cordoba (Spain) under the auspices of the International Treaty

The Secretary of the International Treaty, Kent Nnadozie, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain, Luis Planas, and the Executive Director of the International Olive Council (IOC), Jaime Lillo, signed today in Madrid an agreement to place the World Olive Germplasm Bank of Córdoba, under the auspices of the International Treaty.