On Friday the Agriculture department announced it had suspended the supply of sheep to a Qatar abattoir after seeing footage provided by Animals Australia.
It doesn’t need a review to tell you that for the sheep these voyages - even when they go better than this one did - are hell, whatever “standards” are imposed.
Across large ares of Australia, rocky outcrops are being obliterated to open up more land for farming. But many of these “bush rocks” are refuges for fragile ecosystems.
A proposal that all imported vegetable seeds be treated with fungicide has drawn outrage from Australia’s organic producers, who fear losing their certification.
Multiple reports have convincingly demonstrated that agroecology is the most promising pathway to sustainable food systems on all continents. But governments aren’t doing enough to support it.
Queensland’s new draft land-clearing laws aim to put the brakes on years of environmental destruction. But the bill contains several loopholes that are likely to stymie progress.
The Agriculture Department provides nearly $6 billion annually for land, water and wildlife conservation on farms. President Trump’s 2019 budget drastically reduces funds for these programs.
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Professorial Fellow, Fenner School for the Environment and Society, Australian National University