A message for the times

A message for the times

Thankfully for most Australians the impact of COVID-19 has been in the abstract, at least in terms of health. With case numbers still low at the time of writing, the financial impacts have been highlighted in expanding queues outside Centrelink Office as government...
Much to learn about humankind

Much to learn about humankind

The world is still in the early days of the COVID-19 experience but there is already much to learn from the 70-odd days since news of the virus broke in China. There isn’t a lot of hindsight to work with just yet. The apparent reluctance of Western governments to act...
Biermi up Scotty!

Biermi up Scotty!

There have been plenty of distressing stories of businesses going to the wall as COVID-19 lockdowns hit most countries around the world. True Respite Brewing Company in the US state of Maryland is the story of one business that saw the writing on the wall in the early...
The step-up myth

The step-up myth

There has been a flurry of complaint in the ag media recently about the delay in the payment of a milk price step-up in the current Australian milk production season which runs to the end of June 2021. Step-ups are a milk payment increase, usually announced once the...
Australian dairy’s China risk

Australian dairy’s China risk

The worsening relationship between the governments of Australia and China has resulted in China’s imposition of punitive tariffs and bans on some major agrifood imports from Australia, alongside a slowdown in trade activity across many other categories of trade. The...
UK flags its departure

UK flags its departure

The European Union has some of the highest standards for organic foods and has largely rejected gene editing and genetic modified foods. Member countries only have the option to further tighten those rules, or simply follow regulations set by the Union. But in the UK,...