The national voice of woolgrowers
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Who we are - WoolProducers Australia (WPA) is the national voice of Australian wool growers. WPA plays a key role by working with the companies funded by grower funds - whether compulsory levies or fees for service - to develop constructive and profitable outcomes for industry.
About WoolProducers Australia
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Membership - All members of state farm organisations have a stake in WoolProducers Australia through their local wool committees, as well as the benefits of state representation and direct support through services such as industrial relations, member discounts, networking and training.
Membership web page
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Representation - on the committees and boards of national organisations and grower bodies, including Australian Wool Testing Authority, Australian Wool Exchange, International Wool and Textile Organisation, National Farmers' Federation, Australian Wool Innovation, CRC for Invasive Animals and Animal Health Australia.
Board of Directors
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Federal Budget for farmers
Farmers will be able to access a new Farm Household Allowance announced in Tuesday's budget, which also includes $420 million in concessional loans.
Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said the budget was a "serious commitment" to farmers, who are on the "frontline of the fight against climate variability".
The household allowance, costing $99.4 million over four years, will be paid to farmers at the Newstart Allowance rate for a maximum of three years.
It will go to farm families regardless of the source of their hardship, and would be available from July 1 next year under the Gillard Government's National Drought Program Reform.
"Rather than provide support based on lines on maps, it will be provided to those who are in need," Senator Ludwig said.
Farmers saddled with debt will also get help in the form of the Farm Finance Package, which will provide $420 million in concessional loans over two years.
"Viable farmers can't grow if they are held back by unmanageable debt," Senator Ludwig said of the package, which he unveiled last month.
"Farm Finance lightens that load."
Treasurer Wayne Swan said $330 million would also go to implementing the recently signed Tasmanian Forestry Agreement.
The Murray-Darling Basin plan will get $3.5 billion over 12 years, with $1.8 billion going to the recovery of an additional 450 gigalitres of water for the environment.
"The Murray-Darling Basin Authority set a benchmark of 2750GL of environmental water in the basin," Environment Minister Tony Burke said.
"We were determined to achieve greater environmental outcomes."
Meanwhile, a further $200 million over five years will be spent helping farmers improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef as part of an existing government rescue plan.
2013-14 Budget
United national effort to tackle wild dogs
Costing Australia hundreds of millions of dollars every year
WoolProducers Australia has brought together critical industry stakeholders to develop a national action plan to combat the economic and personal devastation caused by wild dogs across rural Australia.
A new national steering committee has been established representing significant national peak bodies and government to guide the project and shape a new strategy for tackling wild dogs. Wild dogs are responsible for losses of hundreds of millions of dollars each year from all the combined grazing industries.
They are also a source of the spread of serious animal-borne diseases, including hydatids and neospora (a protozoan pathogen in cattle and dogs), and are highly damaging to regional economies.
The chairman of the project steering committee, Jim McKenzie (Vice President of WoolProducers Australia), said wild dogs have become an increasing problem across all grazing industries on mainland Australia.
“Not only are they a serious direct productivity issue but they are recognised as a serious animal welfare and environmental concern as well,” Mr McKenzie said. “Industry can’t afford red tape or ill-informed groups prohibiting the use of the tools currently available. Due to predation from wild dogs farming sheep in some areas is no longer viable.” See media release
Outstanding rural talent wins prestigious wool award
A capable young farming student who grew up on a sheep and cattle property west of Scone in NSW, Lachlan Wolfgang-Wicks, is the 2013 recipient of an Australian Wool Education Trust (AWET) scholarship, funded for the first time by WoolProducers Australia (WPA).
WPA President Geoff Power said he hoped the $6,000 sponsorship would assist Lachlan to further develop his skills and interests in the wool industry, perhaps becoming one of Australia’s outstanding young rural talents once he completes his degree at the University of New England in Armidale. Full story here
The 2012 WoolProducers Annual Review seeks to provide a contemporary overview of the Australian wool industry by wool producers, for wool producers. It does this by compiling state reports from each of the six State Farming Organisations, who each contribute a Director to the Board of WPA, and reports from our three Independent Directors. This provides a considerable sounding board for the breadth of WPA activities and also of the state of play for the wool industry. Our Directors sit on no less than 50 boards and committees nationwide and we work in a uniquely collaborative way that seems particularly successful for our industry. Jane Brownbill CEO