New England Rural Report
Friday, July 23, 2010
Latest Report
IPART hearing
Irrigators in the state's north are concerned higher bulk water charges could cripple their businesses.
A public hearing was held in Tamworth yesterday as part of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunals review of bulk water pricing.
The office of water, local irrigator groups and Tamworth regional council all fronted the hearing.
The office of water has asked for increases of between 85 and 200 percent in the Gwydir Namoi and Peel Valleys to cover infrastructure and metering costs.
NSW Office of Water Commissioner David Hariss says the office of water is hoping for fixed costs to be determined.
The commissioner says the activities of the office of water have increased, but their ability to get money to pay for these activities is constrained.
But the NSW Irrigators Council is extremely concerned about those claims, saying it's not fair to expect customers to foot all the cost.
Gwydir Valley irrigators association CEO Michael Murray presented at the hearing, he's concerned irrigators will end up footing the bill for the basin plan.
IPART will convene another hearing in Sydney today.
Ram record
Alfoxton Merino Stud near Armidale has achieved a record price for a ram at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show and Sale in Bendigo.
The ram sold for $46 000.
It took Chris Clonan thirty years to get his breeding lines up to this level, he's very excited with the sale.
New England Features
Young riders in International Mounted Games
Five of our top young riders head to Britain in August to compete at the International Mounted Games. Australia won last year at Calgary, Canada. Can they make it two in a row?
Is foreign investment a problem?
How much new foreign investment is actually occurring in Australia, and should agriculture and food industries be concerned?
Setting free the pigs
Intensive piggeries are under pressure to change their practices, like removing sow stalls and freeing the pigs into group pens. It could cost tens of millions of dollars and we may pay more for domestic pork. Sarina Locke investigates.
Farmers pitch to city consumers to buy local
Australian farmers are launching a three-year marketing campaign to entice city consumers to locally grown food in New South Wales. The slogan is Families Needing Farmers.
Construction starts on huge Australian mine
Construction of Australia's largest underground mine has started near Orange in central-west NSW.
All kinds of dairy
Step inside the Hastings Co-op dairy factory in Wauchope and it is a hive of activity with workers busy making a whole range of dairy products from cheeses and yoghurts to bottled milk.
Climate change in regional art
Leading regional artists show the impact of climate change on Australia. The landscape works depict resilience.
Property rights dominates farmers conference
Farmers from around NSW are demanding the State Government enact legislation to protect property rights in rural Australia.
Wyangala Dam hits new high
The amount of water in Wyangala Dam in central-west NSW has hit its highest level in more than a year.
Cotter River gets transfusion
Ecologists will test the success of a water transfusion from the Murrumbidgee River into the Cotter River in the ACT as the Cotter Dam is expanded.
