Rural News

A Senate Committee has sided with fruit growers in Victoria's Goulburn Valley who are concerned about the spread of disease if New Zealand apples are allowed into Australia.

Farmers in the Kingborough Municipality will be able to apply for help with rate increases.

The South Australian Farmers Federation (SAFF) says it is difficult to tell at this stage whether a report predicting healthy yields for the winter cropping season is on the mark.

The South Australian Government has outlined a range of measures to deal with the social and economic problems facing Riverland horticulture industries.

Loxton Waikerie Council in south-eastern South Australia is investigating reports that people have contracted a highly infectious disease from a local abattoir.

The Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) of Western Australia expects its withdrawal from the National Farmers Federation (NFF) to trigger a wider shake-up of farm representation across the country.

The Wiluna gold mine in Western Australia's eastern Goldfields has been sold for almost $30 million to the exploration company Apex Minerals.

The Federal Government's $10 billion water plan to take over the Murray-Darling Basin system looks set to go ahead after the last obstacle blocking Queensland's support was resolved.

The Western Australian Nationals say the State Government's announcement that stage two of the Ord Irrigation Scheme, in the state's north, will be delayed, may be to blame if WA's sugar industry collapses.

The Western Australian Farmers Federation (WAFF) has played down the seriousness of an announcement by the grain pool that it will run out of stock-feed lupins within two weeks.

A resident of a Central Australian Aboriginal community says the difficulty of attracting staff to remote areas will hinder the implementation of some of the recommendations of a child sex abuse inquiry.

A Deniliquin fisherman in southern New South Wales has managed to convince the Federal Government it needs to fund a fish ladder at Stevens Weir on the Edward River so fish can reach their breeding grounds.

AWB Limited has announced it is facing a third class action from American wheat growers.

The horticulture industry is warning of a fruit and vegetable shortage if the Federal Government does not provide support for farmers to deal with the water crisis.

Western Australia's sugar industry is preparing to dump millions of dollars worth of cane after failing in an attempt to purchase the state's only sugar mill.

Tasmanian farmers want more scrutiny of quarantine services and strong action to combat a damaging outbreak of snails.

The Federal Government's main forecasting agency says it expects the upcoming winter crop season will be more than double that of last year's drought-affected harvests.

The South Australian Farmers Federation (SAFF) says improved broadband Internet services appear guaranteed whoever wins the federal election this year.

Farmers are being warned by Co-operative Bulk Handling that it is about to run out of feed lupins and barley.

SunRice says the southern New South Wales company will stay in rice growers' hands and that yesterday's listing on the stock exchange should not be seen as the first step to becoming a public company.