There is a saying that truth is the first casualty in any war, and that is certainly the case in relation to the current 'war' on live animal exports that is being waged by a number of animal rights activists groups in Australia. The challenge for Australia's sheep and cattle industries is to counter some of this misinformation, before it becomes accepted knowledge amongst voters.  View the rest of the post here

The back page of the Australian Financial Review today featured an article, written by Tony Boyd, that heavily criticises the recent Government announcement of limited concessional finance being made available to some eligible farmers in response to drought conditions and the slump in beef prices, due in part to the reduction in live cattle exports following the suspension of that trade by the Australian Government.  View the rest of the post here

On 10 May, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) monthly report. This report is a critical source of information for farmers and agricultural markets, as it provides an initial assessment of US and world crop supply and demand prospects for the 2013-14 crop year. Given the importance attached to this report, it is interesting to compare its performance over time. A conclusion from this comparison is that this report should not be relied on by farmers to make crop planting and marketing decisions. View the rest of the post here

Denmark is a small nation with about two thirds the land area of Tasmania, located at a latitude that would place it 1,000 kilometres south of New Zealand, if it was in the southern hemisphere. It has 50,000 farmers who on average farm just 60 hectares of land, it has virtually no rivers or creeks, has the highest taxes and wages of almost anywhere in the world, and its farmers face a raft of environmental regulations that dwarf the regulatory regime farmers face in Australia. Yet Denmark is one of the most successful agricultural exporters in the world, and Danish farmers own two of the largest food processing and marketing organisations in Europe. Danish farmers can clearly teach Australian farmers a thing or two about being a successful agricultural exporter. View the rest of the post here

The current political debate on coal seam gas (CSG) and whether the Australian Government should have a regulatory role over approvals has attracted a substantial amount of media attention over the last couple of months, and is an issue that the AFI has been following closely. The Federal Government has proposed an amendment to exert greater control over CSG mining projects which are currently largely in the hands of the state governments. Under the proposed new rules if a CSG project puts water resources at risk it may be referred to the Federal Government for review under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. The level of threat to water that will trigger the operation of the Act is yet to be announced (more information here). View the rest of the post here

The failure of the EU Parliament to reach agreement this week on changes to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that aimed to resuscitate the price of EU carbon emission permits will have implications for Australian emitters and farm businesses contemplating getting involved in the carbon market, whichever political party wins government after the September federal elections. View the rest of the post here

Two simultaneous announcements last week - one from the New Zealand Government and one from the Australian Government, show just how far Australia is falling behind the competition when it comes to agricultural trade. View the rest of the post here

Brazil's economy has experienced a boom over the last ten years due to stable governments and the extended growth that has occurred in its agriculture sector. While the nation's economic growth has stalled at present due to a number of factors including rapid growth in wages, there is no doubt that the extended boom that has occurred in its agriculture sector still has a long way to run. View the rest of the post here

Australian farmers are rarely given credit for the huge, unsubsidised contribution they make to preserving Australia's biodiversity and reducing greenhouse emissions, and it seems they have something in common with Brazil's farmers in this regard. Despite the relentless criticism Brazil's farmers have received from environmental groups over recent decades, in many ways they deserve more credit for environmental performance, and certainly make a greater environmental contribution than their peers in Europe and North America.  View the rest of the post here