Federal Government in GM crops u-turn

By Jane Bardon
Thursday, 31/01/2008
Green groups are furious the Federal Government has decided to support genetically modified crops, pushing government agencies to do more GM research.Following decisions by more state governments to allow GM crops to be grown, Federal Labor has dumped its scepticism.Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has advised government funded agencies to do more research on pest and disease resistant GM crops. "With the challenges that are in front of us I want to make sure Australian agriculture is in the best position it possibly can be, not just to be sustainable and to thrive."GM isn't the be all and end all by any means but I believe its going to provide one piece of the jigsaw in dealing with the challenges the climate is going to put before us in the years to come."Julie Newman from Network of Concerned Farmers says many producers and consumers don't want that."We are aware of our markets and our markets are very clearly that they don't want GM, just a few will tolerate it in certain circumstances. And the unfortunate thing is we can't segregate so all the liability is on the non-GM farmer and that imposes a massive problem to those producers that are aware enough to want to grow a produce that consumers want and its not GM."Supermarket surveys suggest many consumers don't want to eat GM food.So Coles, and Foodland in South Australia, are keeping it out of their home-brand products. But the federal minister points out many farmers feel they need GM crops to stay viable.Tony Burke says some government research will focus on strengthening safeguards.He says he's not worried about the image of Australia's produce in world markets, because individual states like Tasmania are already deciding to remain GM free where they think they can gain a market advantage.Mr Burke says he isn't concerned about consumers rejecting farmers GM produce."The people who will be most sensitive to making sure that we've got a market will be the producers. I don't think that we should for a moment underestimate the awareness that producers have of what the market will and won't take."
In this report: Tony Burke, Federal Agriculture Minister; Julie Newman, Network of Concerned Farmers

End of an era for Hobart log exports

There will be no more raw log exports from the port of Hobart. (ABC News: Andrew Fisher)
There will be no more raw logs exported from the port of Hobart.
Veneer shipments from the Huon Valley will replace the raw timber.
Forestry Tasmania says about 165,000 tonnes of logs have been taken off Hobart's streets.
Managing Director Bob Gordon says it means a 20 to 30 per cent reduction in the number of trucks.
"Well there'll be about 6,000 less log trucks per year, and it will be replaced by about six trucks a day carrying veneer which mostly people don't notice," he said.
"For some reason log trucks attract more attention that other trucks."
Mr Gordon says log trucks will still be seen on some roads, but not in the city.
"There will still be saw logs coming to the sawmills located at Glenorchy, Austins Ferry, Boyer and a couple of small country mills around the place and there will still be logs being transported to Triabunna."
Forestry spokesman for the Tasmanian Greens, Tim Morris, says less traffic is a positive.
"Probably sounds like it's going to be a positive for the streets of Hobart," he said.
"And that's welcome as far as that's concerned.
"But as far as our native forests are concerned we're just seeing a little bit of shuffle of the deck chairs."

Tasmanian wines set to take on the world

The new executive officer of Wine Industry Tasmania believes the state is a good position to capitalise on the growing reputation of its cool-climate wines.
Stuart Nettlefold, who has had more than 20 years experience as a business manager and marketing consultant in the wine industry, will take on the job from next Monday.
He says Tasmania is gaining a reputation as a producer of high-quality 'top end of the market' sparkling and pinot noir varieties.
Mr Nettlefold says with a record harvest likely this year, Tasmanian wines could gain market share in mainland wine growing areas affected by drought.
"A lot of those mainland areas are facing big issues with drought and climate change so I think from Tasmania's point of view that's certainly one advantage we can play on in that again, sort of focussing on that cool climate super premium positioning," he said.
Mr Nettlefold expects Tasmania's wine production to double over the next few years.
"I believe already for 2008 it's looking like a bumper vintage," he said.
"For example the estimate at the moment is it is going to be the biggest ever of 7,000 tonnes, and that compares to 2007 where the production was just over 5,000 tonnes, so that's nearly a 40 per cent increase."
Mr Nettlefold replaces Allison Williams, who held the position since the new industry body was created in 2006.

ANL chief questions Yarra dredging plan

January 30, 2008 - 5:26AM
The head of shipping company ANL says the controversial $1 billion Port Phillip Bay dredging plan should not include the mouth of the Yarra River.
ANL chief executive Chris Lines told Fairfax newspapers on Wednesday toxic sediment in the Yarra should not be dredged, and called on the Victorian government to extend Webb Dock, just east of the river mouth.
Mr Lines said he supported channel deepening but expanding Webb Dock would eliminate the need to remove four million tonnes of toxic sediment from the Yarra, which Fairfax newspapers said was the riskiest and most contentious parts of the project.
"I don't know why they don't bring forward the plan to develop Webb Dock. It would be very sensible," Mr Lines said.
"If you look around internationally there are very few river ports left.
"My personal point of view is that the best way forward would have been to shift the international trade to Webb and bring the smaller ships up the river to Swanson (Dock) so you don't have to disturb the sediment."
Mr Lines' comments come as the Blue Wedges protest group returns to the Federal Court on Wednesday in a bid to stop the controversial $1 billion dredging project two days ahead of its scheduled start on February 1.
In a last-ditch bid, they will file an application for commonwealth approval of the project to be overturned.
A similar Federal Court challenge failed two weeks ago.
A giant dredging vessel, The Queen of The Netherlands, arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday but dredging cannot begin until the Port of Melbourne Corporation gets final approval from federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett, who is yet to sign a crucial environmental management plan.
© 2008 AAP

The Team To Take Tasmania Forward

Premier Paul Lennon has announced changes to his ministerial line-up that will help Tasmania meet the challenges it faces in 2008 and beyond.
Mr Lennon told Cabinet today he was happy for his Government to be judged in 2008 on the key issues of:
Drought-proofing Tasmania with long-term sustainable water projects supporting farmers and regional communities;
Providing better services for children and their families;
Improving the standards of literacy and numeracy;
Addressing the public housing shortage;
Infrastructure development, including the start of work on the Tamar pulp mill and construction of the Brighton Transport Hub, clearing the way for the new Royal Hobart Hospital at Macquarie Point; and
Branding and promoting Tasmania more effectively.
“This is a big agenda and I have made it clear to my ministers today that I am looking to see major progress in these key areas by the end of this year,” Mr Lennon said.
“I have already begun meeting ministers to explain the new ministerial responsibilities I am putting in place and to spell out timelines for action.
“We have already achieved much by making our economy strong and returning hope and prosperity to Tasmania.
“Now it is time to take the next step and deliver targeted reforms that will address Tasmania’s needs and set our State up for a better future.”
The Premier said today’s Cabinet alterations put Tasmania in the best position to meet this challenging agenda.
Deputy Premier Steve Kons heads a new senior ministry of Infrastructure, Resources, Planning and Workplace Relations.
He also takes on responsibility for major projects like the Brighton Transport Hub and construction of the Tamar Valley pulp mill.
“Steve has proven himself to be a very capable Deputy Premier and the time is now right for him to take on these added responsibilities,” Mr Lennon said.
Paula Wriedt assumes the Premier’s Economic Development portfolio and retains responsibility for tourism, which will be housed within the Department of Economic Development.
Michelle O’Byrne becomes Minister for Environment, Heritage, the Arts and Sport and Recreation.
Jim Cox takes on police, public safety and local government.
David Llewellyn becomes Attorney General and Minister for Justice, while retaining Energy and Primary Industries and Water.
Lara Giddings retains her existing Health and Human Services portfolio, with David Bartlett also retaining Education.
Michael Aird remains Treasurer and Minister for Racing.
Doug Parkinson continues as Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, with Lin Thorp as deputy.
Graeme Sturges becomes Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier, assisting with major projects.
Allison Ritchie remains Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer.
The new ministry will be sworn-in on February 12.

Positive signs for Tasmanian vintage

Report: Cameron Wilson
Despite the drought, Tasmania's wine grape harvest looks like recovering after two successive poor years.Tasmanian growers are bucking the national trend by predicting a boost to yields in 2008, with some vineyards expecting increases of up to 20 per cent.There had been concerns that a lack of water would cut production for the third straight year.But while it's too early to predict the quality of this year's grapes, wine consultant Fred Peacock says two months before harvest the signs are positive."It's been dry for so long now that the vines are actually standing up much better to the try conditions than we expected.""I think that's largely due to the fact that they've retained a lot of their deep route system."

Australian containerised wheat exports soar 500pc

AUSTRALIAN exports of wheat in containers and bags are said to have risen by 500 per cent since August 2007 when the industry was deregulated, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Figures from the Export Wheat Commission show that around 360,000 tonnes of wheat have been exported from the country in the past four months, up from 58,000 tonnes exported in the same period a year ago.
Another reason for the spike in containerised wheat has been surging bulk freight rates, making it more cost-effective to ship such exports by container.
"There is a large disparity between the cost in exporting in bulk compared with containers and certainly we've published that disparity in our report," said Export Wheat Commission chief Peter Woods.
"It is significantly cheaper to send containers from Australia to Asian markets than it is to send bulk wheat to those same markets," he said.

FREE WINE - AUSTRALIA DAY TEST

Here is a little test........

Australia Day celebrates what event in Australia's history (include the year)?

Whomever answers correctly first will win two bottles of Tasmanian wine.

Email your answer to: logistics@willardestate.com and in the subject line write "ANSWER TO BLOG QUESTION". Entries close at 5pm Friday 25th January 2008.

Sorry - this is only open to Tasmanian residents or companies.

Cheers
Brett Charlton

Maersk brings in 'fair, simple, transparent' way to gauge BAF

Maersk Line, the world's largest container carrier, is introducing a new way to calculate a floating Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) - and you can do it yourself on the internet.
Maersk announced that the BAF formula will be "simple, fair and transparent" and will allow the shipping company to recover expenses that account almost half of the cost of running ships, up from the 20 per cent it represented 10 years ago.
"With this web tool," said a Maersk statement, "our customers can calculate their BAF based on trade and make simulations based on fluctuations in bunker prices. In addition, the BAF Calculator has information on the variables behind our BAF formula, an extensive Q&A, and news on upcoming BAF changes."
"With Maersk Line's BAF formula we will create more transparency, and our customers will experience a simple and fair way of applying BAF," said Vincent Clerc, Maersk's vice president for Pacific services.
Fuel has tripled in three years, said the shipping line. "Naturally, this poses a significant exposure to Maersk Line and traditionally we have tried to recover this via rate increases," he said.
"Our aim with the new formula is to provide a simple, fair, and transparent BAF for our customers. In addition, allowing us to share and recover the extraordinary costs provided by the increasing bunker prices," said a Maersk statement.
"Today, we only recover approximately 55 per cent of the bunker expenses via BAF surcharges," Mr Clerc said.
"We have built the BAF formula on principles that are common in other transportation industries like airlines and parcel services. In these industries, prices and rates reflect fluctuations in fuel prices, and customers accept this as part of doing business in an industry, which is very reliant on fuel," he said.
The formula builds on elements such as fuel consumption, transit time, and imbalances of container flows. However, only changes in the oil price will entail changes in the BAF level. Our customers will therefore only pay the variation in cost, and although the BAF rises when fuel prices climb, they will benefit from downward trends as the bunker price fluctuates," he said.

Stars say G'Day over a feed of North-West ocean trout

By AMBER WILSON
KYLIE Minogue, Olivia Newtown-John, Russell Crowe, Terri Irwin, Petuna Seafoods ...Not only are the above all Australian, they also shared a meal together at the weekend's G'Day USA black tie gala ball in Los Angeles.East Devonport's own Petuna Seafoods served up a delicious dish of North- West ocean trout to a contingent of famous - and hungry - Australians and their American pals.Petuna sales and logistics general manager Tim Hess said Americans couldn't get enough North-West fish."We were actually one of the original companies supplying product into that particular promotion," he said."This is our third year at the gala ball."In fact, Petuna can't even keep up with American demands of the premium fish."What we agreed to do, we currently ship between two and four tonne of fresh ocean trout to USA every week," Mr Hess said."We've been doing it for about five years, and it's growing every year."He said the fish was particularly well received this year."It's been going very well over there for us. We ship all over the place - to New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles."During the gala ball, guests dined on cuisine prepared by Australian chef Neil Perry and LA chef Wolfgang Puck, using a range of Australian products and produce flown in for the occasion.

Australian Shares Plunge

January 22, 2008 10:30am
AUSTRALIAN shares have taken a battering in early trade today after European share markets plunged overnight on fears of a US recession with investors bracing for a global stock-market crash.For local share investors, financial horror has firmly set in as their wealth washes away. For retirees, their savings are shrinking as superannuation funds post huge losses. The S&P/ASX200 had plunged 210 points by 10:12am AEDT to 5376.1, or down 3.7 per cent. By 10.42 AEDT, the market had rebounded slightly to 5386.5, or down 193.9 points, down 3.5 per cent. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index is now down more than 20 per cent from its life high of 6851.5 reached in November 2007, indicating a slip into bear market territory. Dealers said a key new plan by President George W. Bush to prevent a US recession was not enough to offset the stream of bad news from banks due to the crisis in the American housing market. "People aren't buying the US bail-out story and that feeling has been exacerbated by the weakness overnight in the Asian markets," Richard Hunter, equities analyst at broker Hargreaves Lansdown, said in London. "The other thing we have seen today is a lack of buying interest -- people are battening down the hatches while they see what happens in the US," he said, noting that Wall Street was closed yesterday for a national holiday. A credit squeeze prompted by a crisis in the US subprime, or high-risk, mortgage sector has given way to a wider malaise in the world's biggest economy, with unemployment rising and the dollar falling. Many analysts now fear that the US slowdown could damage the world economy. International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn warned yesterday that "all the world's countries are suffering from the slowdown in growth in the United States, at least all developed countries". And later yesterday, Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of the Eurogroup finance ministers, added to the gloom. "The situation is continuing to deteriorate in the United States," Mr Juncker said after chairing a meeting in Brussels with finance ministers from the 15 countries that share the euro. "In recent months, we have always ruled out a recession in the United States, but we cannot totally rule it out today," Mr Juncker, who is both Luxembourg's prime minister and finance minister, said. World oil prices slid on deepening worries about a potential drop in energy demand owing to the weakness of the US economy, analysts said. New York's main contract, light sweet crude, shed $US1.76 to $US88.1 a barrel. The US dollar meanwhile rose strongly against the euro. Dealers said that "carry-trade" investors, who had been putting money into higher-yielding currencies, were now cutting back on those positions to the benefit of the US dollar, which still offers safe-haven qualities. But there were no safe havens for stock market investors. The main London, Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid exchanges had their biggest single day losses since the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. London's FTSE 100 index plunged 5.48 per cent, the Paris CAC 40 lost 6.83 per cent, Frankfurt's DAX shed 7.16 per cent and Madrid fell 7.54 per cent. Other exchanges across the continent had similar losses. Hours later, the chill had spread to Latin America. In Sao Paulo, Latin's biggest market, the main Ibovespa index fell 6.6 per cent to 53,709 points, at close of trading. Argentina's Buenos Aires stock exchange closed 6.27 per cent down at 1,876.87. The nervousness in Europe and America was fuelled by falls earlier in the day across Asia, with Tokyo's benchmark index closing a hefty 3.86 per cent lower, hitting its lowest point since October 2005. Markets were reacting to the US president's plan announced last Friday for $US140 billion (97 billion euros) in temporary tax cuts and other measures to ward off a recession in the world's biggest economy. Mr Bush's package "is seen as too late and not strong enough to make an impact", Najeeb Jarhom, head of research for retail clients at Fraser Securities in Singapore, said. "It looks like the US is heading for a recession or may be already in recession, looking at the data," he said. A recession is negative growth for two consecutive quarters. Asian markets had rebounded at the end of last week on hopes for Mr Bush's stimulus plan but opened sharply down on Monday after seeing Wall Street's lack of enthusiasm for the announcement. Investors were also uneasy as it would take another day to gauge further reaction in the United States, where markets were closed for the Martin Luther King holiday. Mr Bush on Friday said his plan would be worth "around one percent" of US gross domestic product and offer tax rebates, incentives for businesses and other measures to encourage growth. Dealers said they had hoped for surprises in Bush's much-anticipated announcement, particularly on how to salvage the troubled housing market. The US economy has been hit hard by rising defaults in the "subprime" mortgage sector, in which Americans with bad credit records are struggling to pay back housing loans given to them during the housing boom.

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Bumper cherry harvest US-bound

From ABC

Tasmanian cherry farmers expect the crop this season to be more than double that of last year. (ABC News)

Tasmanian cherry growers are looking at a bumper season, after frosts cut last year's crop to about 2,000 tonnes.
Growers expect to almost double that before the season ends.
The season's first container for export was loaded this morning, bound for California, and worth an estimated $US200,000.
The Chairwoman of the Stone Fruit Council, Lucy Gregg says it is hoped another one or two containers will be exported to the United States before the season is over, in about three weeks.
"The potential for this market is enormous especially as our industry increases capacity.
"We need destinations like this to move significant quantities of fruit and potentially next season we could potentially do six or eight containers into the US."
Ms Gregg says there is already been a big improvement on last year's harvest.
"This season's looking to be one of the most successful seasons we've had for numerous years," she said.
"Obviously, last year we had the frosts which severely impacted on the crops.
"We would expect that we'd harvest between 3,000 and 4,000 tonnes this year which is nearly double what we harvested last year."
Ms Gregg believes even stronger growth is likely over the next couple of years.
"The Tasmanian industry is increasing rapidly and we expect that by 2010 we could potentially be harvesting 7,000 tonnes so this is why we need to develop these export markets to handle large volumes of fruit."

AQIS report sparks more quarantine concerns

From ABC Country Hour Tasmania
Report: Jane Bardon
Farmers are even more alarmed about the state of the quarantine system following the revelation of a report concealed by the Howard Government.The consultants report says AQIS is failing to meet government targets for inspecting air and sea imports for exotic pests and diseases.The Ernst and Young report commissioned by the Howard Government says the Quarantine and Inspection Service has failed to meet targets for screening ship cargo since 2004.It says more resources are needed, particularly in New South Wales, and screening of mail into Western Australia is inadequate.New South Wales Horticulture Committee chairman Peter Darley says a full Senate inquiry is needed into the quarantine system."We are very concerned about the incompetence of AQIS. Equine influenza certainly puts the warning bells out that AQIS needs to be more vigilant."And I think it is disgusting if this report was kept under wraps."The Howard Government received the report last September, just after the horse flu outbreak.Before losing office it commissioned a judicial inquiry into horse flu, but didn't release the AQIS report.The Coalition's Agriculture spokesman Nigel Scullion is defending his government's actions."Over the Howard Government years, we can be very confident that we have had a very comprehensive and secure system in terms of biosecurity, but we need to keep reviewing it in the light of new threats."AQIS and the department of agriculture are refusing to comment.Agriculture Minister Tony Burke says his government is pressing ahead with its own review.Greens Senator Christine Milne says farmers and fishermen can't afford to wait and extra resources should be spent now targeting the problem areas highlighted by the report.

In this report: Peter Darley, New South Wales Horticulture Committee chairman; Nigel Scullion, Coalition agriculture spokesman; Tony Burke, Agriculture Minister; Christine Milne, Greens Senator

Allegiance urges other companies to bid

Takeover target Allegiance Mining NL is encouraging third parties to make a bid for the company.
After issuing its target's statement rejecting Zinifex Ltd's unsolicited bid of up to $744.93 million, Allegiance said in an accompanying presentation that it had received several approaches from domestic and international parties expressing interest in holding talks.
In a media teleconference on Thursday, chairman Tony Howland-Rose would not confirm the identity of the potential suitors but said the interest was particularly from overseas.
Mr Howland-Rose indicated that discussions with the parties were either at a very early stage or had not yet commenced.
"In producing this target's statement, we've had our concentration on that and evaluation of the offer," Mr Howland-Rose said.
"We are and will review any offer we receive on its merit ... and will encourage those offers to be made."
He could not say whether Allegiance's largest shareholder, China's Jinchuan Group Ltd, would lift its stake from 10.4 per cent to help Allegiance fend off unattractive takeover bids, or even make a bid for the nickel miner itself.
"Our relationship with Jinchuan is a long term one," he said.
"I would never second-guess them."
He said it was too early to open Allegiance's data room to scrutiny and rejected suggestions it could commission an independent expert to verify the quality of the company's landholdings.
In knocking back Zinifex's bid, Mr Howland-Rose emphasised the exploration potential of thee landholdings surrounding Allegiance's flagship Avebury nickel mine, where production is scheduled to begin this quarter.
"I can't talk about the promise enough ... The future lies with what we will find," he said.
"The area we hold is very prospective.
"It would not surprise me in my 46 years of working in Tasmania ... if we were to discover a big lead deposit or tin deposit in the areas that we hold."
He said the Godkin prospect east of the company's Melba prospect - which was acquired ironically from Zinifex in August last year - was one of the target's top untested targets.
He also singled out the geothermal potential of Allegiance's land.
In a statement, Allegiance said shareholders holding a total of 21.5 per cent of the company agreed that Zinifex's takeover offer was inadequate or that they intended to reject the bid.
"Our shares have traded above the (90 cent) bid price since the beginning of that offer," Mr Howland-Rose told journalists.
Zinifex's offer expires on February 8.
Allegiance shares were steady on $1.055 at 1240 AEDT Thursday, valuing the company at $817.55 million.
Zinifex was up 14 cents to $10.16.

Antarctica an incredible experience: Garrett

Posted Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:32pm AEDT Updated Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:23pm AEDT

Mr Garrett believes the air link will boost Australia's scientific research on Antarctica. Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has praised the efforts of the people who have worked to establish a passenger air link between Australia to Antarctica.
The Airbus A319 left Hobart last night and landed at Wilkins Runway, 70 kilometres from Casey Station.
It flew back into Hobart this morning.
The Australian Antarctic Division hopes to make the trip about 20 times each year to expand the organisation's research.
Mr Garrett says the flight is a significant achievement.
"To descend out of the sky across this Antarctic continent and see a beautifully constructed airstrip on blue ice in the middle of this vast Antarctic expanse was a really incredible experience," he said.
Mr Garrett believes the air link will boost Australia's scientific research on the continent.
"It's taken years and years and years, but we now have an opportunity to greatly expand the visitation by scientists to Antarctica," he said.

Flight of the honey bee threatens pollination

Posted Mon Jan 14, 2008 9:07am AEDT
Tasmanian seed and crop farmers are concerned that dwindling bee numbers could affect their livelihood.
Many farmers hire bees from local beekeepers to pollinate vegetable plants in summer, as bees are the only option for pollination in Tasmania.
But the bee population is under threat from overseas disease and pests, and the felling of leatherwood trees is removing the bees' best honey-making nectar.
Bishopsbourne seed farmer Bruce Goss says he can not do his job without bees.
"The amount of bees that are in the pollinating system at the moment, we're getting by," he said.
"But the risk of losing that would be detrimental to our whole industry.
"I mean we just couldn't grow the crops that we do without the ability to pollinate them, it'd be a waste of time."
Farmers say jobs in the vegetable seed export industry could be at risk.
Mr Goss says local seed producers and exporters would have to shut down without the bees, and vegetable seeds would have to be outsourced.
"The seed to grow those vegetables from would come from somewhere else in the world and then you're bringing in the risk of disease and other things," he said.
"I mean, we do it all the time, but if we can provide what we need within the state then it's better for everyone.
"There's more jobs for everyone here and we're not paying somewhere else in the world to survive."

New apple variety set to 'jazz' up market

By Damien Hooper
Tuesday, 15/01/2008
If you've got a favourite type of apple it might have taken you a while to pick out because of all the different varieties around today. That decision is about to get a little harder with the introduction of a new variety called the 'Jazz' apple. Ken Bell is the Managing Director of Top Qual in Tasmania, he says that this new variety of apple will be good for the consumer."Well the Jazz apple is a cross between a Gala and a Braeburn with the Gala being the strong parent, so it's got the colour of a Gala but the shape of a Braeburn.""It's keeping qualities will be exceptional, it will have long shelf life, it's a good storage apple so the consumer will be able to put it in the bowl at home and it will last for a long time.""It's been trialed for many years and it's taking the world by storm as a very popular apple. In Australia, Montague Fresh have successfully acquired the licence from New Zealand and we (Top Qual) have a sub-licence to Montague for Tasmania," said Mr Bell.The new variety of apple is only in initial stages of growing and won't be available until early next year.

The Year of the Spud

Not many vegetables have an entire year dedicated to them, but then again, the potato isn't just any old vegetable. First eaten by South Americans 5000 years ago, and enjoyed by people the world over ever since, the potato is a good source of carbohydrate and vitamin C, and could even be the solution to food shortages in the developing world. With all that going for it, it's perhaps little wonder the United Nations has named 2008 the International Year of the Potato.

Environment and shipping by sea

Another intertesting fact from www.shipsandboxes.com

Environment
Container shipping is the most environmentally sound way to transport large volumes of goods across the world. Most of the world’s manufactured goods and products travel by container ship and, when this startling fact is considered, the relative impact upon the environment is low in comparison to other modes of transport.
For example, for every kilometre that a container ship carries a ton of cargo, it is far more energy efficient and emits much less in the way of harmful CO2 emissions than any other type of freight transport, including airplane, truck and train. It is estimated that on average a container ship emits around 40 times less CO2 than a large freight aircraft and over three times less than a heavy truck. Container shipping is also estimated to be two and a half times more energy efficient than rail and 7 times more so than road.
Even so, the industry recognises it cannot rest on its laurels. It is by definition a large industry and of course it does have an impact on the world around it. Container shipping companies are therefore working hard, alongside environmental agencies and governments, to minimise all impacts upon the environment.
For example, all member lines of CSIS work with, or are full members of, the Clean Cargo Working Group and the World Shipping Council. The Clean Cargo Working Group, set up by Business for Social Responsibility, develops voluntary guidelines and metrics aimed at improving freight transport’s performance in environmental sustainability. By taking a cooperative, pan-industry approach, the group helps to promote environmental stewardship and sustainability in a competitive market. Working with legislators, appropriate government agencies and international organisations, the World Shipping Council focuses specifically on the areas of vessel air emissions, ballast water management, and the protection of North Atlantic Right Whales and coral reefs.
As well as industry regulations and voluntary codes of conduct, there are a great many environmentally-focused design features specifically built into containers and the ships that carry them. For example:
It is now possible to recycle 98% of most container ships
Containers are made of steel and are 100% recyclable
If they are not recycled to make new steel products they often become ‘static’ containers which can have charitable uses, such as schools in developing countries, or use as storage
Many container shipping lines take steps to ensure that their ships travel at the optimum speed for efficient fuel consumption
Developments in hull and propeller design continue to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions – in fact a container ship now typically emits about a quarter of the CO2 it did in the 1970s as well as carrying up to ten times as many containers
Use of lower sulphur fuels is increasing and maximum sulphur content allowed in marine heavy fuel is now limited to 4.5%, or as low as 1.5% in some areas
All fuel is cleaned by filters and purifiers on board before use to help produce cleaner emissions
The majority of container shipping lines have replaced tin-based ‘anti-fouling’ paint on ship hulls with a more environmentally-friendly alternative
New paints that keep hulls free of barnacles and other sea life offer energy efficiencies of around 10%
Furthermore, container shipping companies have risk management plans, environmental policies and trained staff available so they can anticipate and avoid, or react to, environmental issues or crises.
So through this mix of regulation, voluntary codes of conduct and from environmentally-aware design to operation, the container shipping industry is continually striving to reduce its impact on our environment.

Interesting facts from www.shipsandboxes.com

Container ships
Innovation and rapid growth in the container shipping industry have thrown up a wealth of statistics and superlatives. The next time you see a building six storeys high, remember that this is the size of the engine in a large container ship. If you see a double-decker bus, it’s the size of the rudder. And if you think a mile is a long way, consider that it can take a container ship eight times that distance to stop!
There are over 4,000 container ships afloat around the world*. Most of these – about 94% – have been built since 1980.
Container ships have an approximate lifespan of 26 years.
A large container ship engine has about 1,000 times more power than a family car.
A large fully-laden container ship can weigh the equivalent of 300 jumbo jets.
The world’s biggest container ships are about 1,300 feet long - that’s nearly 400 metres or the distance around an Olympic running track - with a maximum width of 180 feet (55 metres). Their engines weigh 2,300 tons, their propellers 130 tons, and there are twenty-one storeys between their bridge and their engine room. They can be operated by teams of just thirteen people and a sophisticated computer system and carry an astonishing 11,000 20-foot containers. If that number of containers were loaded onto a train it would need to be 44 miles or 71 kilometres long!
In an average year a large container ship travels three-quarters of the distance to the moon. That means that in its lifetime it travels to the moon and back nearly ten times.
Container ships have the capacity to carry several warehouses-worth of goods, which makes one journey very efficient.
A container of refrigerators can moved from a factory in Malaysia to a port and then be shipped the journey of roughly 9,000 miles/14,484 kilometres to Los Angeles in just 16 days.
Container ships carry their containers both on and below deck. Deck-stowed containers on a 11,000 TEU vessel are stacked up to seven to eight high and nineteen across, inter-locked with fittings and secured by special lashings.
Ships generally carry a mix of 20-foot and 40-foot boxes. Most can also carry 45-foot and 48-foot containers on deck.
The gantry cranes that load and unload container ships can be 430 feet tall and weigh up to 2,000 tons
The information technology used on container ships is remarkably advanced. A good example is the computer software that enables precise planning for the loading and unloading of containers and keeps the vessel balanced by increasing and decreasing ballast at the touch of a button.
It is estimated that on average a container ship emits around 40 times less CO2 than a large freight aircraft and over three times less than a heavy truck. Container shipping is also estimated to be two and a half times more energy efficient than rail and 7 times more so than road.
Weekly safety and fire drill sessions take place for all crewmembers when the vessel is at sea to make sure that they are practised for any real emergencies.
* Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd

China Customs goes digital, starts electronic clearance system

CHINA customs and the state quality supervision administration unit has started nationwide a "no paper" digital customs system.
Under the new clearance system, a shipper files details of imports and exports electronically to the local inspection unit. After examination, the inspection unit will forward results to customs and send a receipt back to the company with a clearance approval number, with which the company must later declare its cargo. After the customs has verified the declarations, the cargo will be released.
Logistics Week reports that the new measure has greatly improved the efficiency of customs and the inspection unit and will work to fight cheating in customs declarations.

BHP-Billiton containerises nickel shipments between West Australia and Queenland

Another example of bulk shippers turning towards containerized options due to bulk vessels being too expensive.

AUSTRALIAN mining major BHP Billiton has started to containerise nickel in a service connecting Esperance, Western Australia to Townsville in Queensland 2,800 miles away, using the 1,388-TEU Spirit of Esperance, reports AXS Alphaliner News.
This service has been put into place to carry nickel produced at BHP Billiton's Ravensthorpe mine 170 kilometres from Esperance to the company's Yabulu nickel processing unit near Townsville.
In the first shipment, 4,000 tons of nickel was loaded in 180 containers after being trucked from the mine site.

Notice to Importers

Issued by OOCL Line 8th January 2008

Rate Restoration East Asia Trades
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea
to Australia

In order to maintain the high level of service demanded by the trade, shipping lines need to apply the rate restoration programme advised late last year.

This is to confirm that the Rate Restoration of US$200 per teu will be implemented as from 19th January 2008. The restoration applies to refrigerated and general cargo loading in the East Asia area.

For further information please contact your local OOCL office in your area.

OOCL is one of the world's leading container transport and logistics service providers, with more than 230 offices in 58 countries. Linking Asia, Europe, North America, the Mediterranean, Indian Sub-Continent, Middle East and Australia/New Zealand, OOCL offers transportation services to all major east/west trading economies of the world. It is also an industry leader in the use of information technology and e-commerce to manage the entire cargo process

California speculation builds that 2008 shaping up as 'perfect storm'

CALIFORNIA speculation is building that 2008 is shaping up to be a "perfect storm" for the shipping community with a dockers contract up for renewal, victorious greens demanding more after winning an anti-pollution container tax - among other burdens imposed on the industry.
"New environmental initiatives, cargo fees, labour uncertainties, a slumping economy, national elections, security regulations, legal battles, Olympic games and other factors point to some upheaval in coming months," writes reporter Kristopher Hanson of The Long Beach Telegram.
Rules to curb diesel pollution adopted by port authorities in Long Beach and Los Angeles in 2007 go into effect this year, as well as an October 1 ban on all pre-1989 trucks, which make up more than 10 per cent of harbour drayage, he said.
In September, the shipping industry's effort to overturn a state law requiring freighters to use low-sulphur fuel within 22 miles of California's coast was blocked on appeal, and thus remains law. Add to that, heavy security programmes have been added as part of the War on Terror, resulting in more unfounded mandates.

What next with GM canola?

By Catherine Clifford
Monday, 07/01/2008
As Australia's canola farmers ready themselves for the New Year, they will have to decide for the first time whether they'll be sowing a genetically-modified crop in Victoria or New South Wales in 2008.While moratoria in those states have been lifted, and other state governments are still debating whether the GM canola ban should stay or go, what does it all mean for Australian growers contemplating switching from their conventional varieties?Genetically-modified canola was introduced into Canada in 1996 under a co-existence plan. It was decided from the outset there would be no segregation of the GM product from conventionally-grown canola.JoAnne Buth is the president of the Canola Council of Canada. She says it's been a successful decade for GM in the Northern Hemisphere."Right now, GM canola takes up about 85 per cent of the acres across western Canada and last year we produced nearly nine million tonnes, of which 85 per cent was GM canola," she says.With the introduction in NSW and Victoria of GM canola varieties, comes the introduction of the Technology Use Agreement, or TUA.This is a legally-binding document that many of the biotech companies ask growers to sign when they venture into their local seed supplier to pick up their genetically-modified seed.Spokeswoman for Monsanto Canada, Trish Jordan, says there's a simple reason why growers will be asked to sign such an agreement."It takes a significant amount of money to bring this technology to market, anywhere from $50-million to $100-million and five to 10 years to bring a product from conception through to commercialisation," she says."So obviously we're going to charge for that technology and the money is re-invested in the next of wave of technologies available to growers," says Ms Jordan.The basic terms and conditions contained in Monsanto Canada's TUA are that the grower will pay for the technology, the grower won't save and re-use Monsanto's GM seed the following year, and that if the grower breaches these terms and conditions Monsanto can exercise its legal right to pursue the grower through the courts.One Canadian grower who knows all about Monsanto's TUA contract, and what happens if you are in breach of it, is conventional canola grower, Percy Schmeiser, from the Saskatchewan prairies. He fought Monsanto for more than six years after they commenced legal proceedings against him claiming he had infringed patent when Monsanto's GM seed turned up in his conventional canola crop."In 1998 our canola crop was contaminated by Monsanto's GM canola [and] they laid a lawsuit against me because they said I was using their seed even though it was produced on my land," he says."The judge ruled no matter what the level of contamination, it can be one per cent or two per cent or whatever, if that happens you no longer own your seeds or plants [and] they belong to Monsanto and that was a startling decision by the courts," says Mr Schmeiser.Anti-GM proponent and vice-president of the National Farmers' Union of Canada, Terry Boehm, has issued his own warning to potential Australian GM canola growers, suggesting they will be hit in the pocket if they go down the GM path."We've seen a tremendous escalation in the price of seed," he says."Now, Canadian farmers are spending about CAD$30 to CAD$35 [per acre] just for seed alone, whereas in the past with conventional varieties where farmers were able to save and re-use their own seed they might spend CAD$2 to CAD$5 an acre to plant that," says Mr Boehm.

Lion Nathan go-ahead for Boag's sale

03 January 2008 - 1:00AM

LAUNCESTON brewer J Boag & Son Pty Ltd will soon join the Lion Nathan Ltd fold after the wine and beer maker was cleared by the Australian Foreign Investment Board to buy Boags from San Miguel Corporation.The clearance from the FIRB was the last remaining hurdle after Kirin Brewery Company's purchase of National Foods from the Philippines-based San Miguel, which was completed on December 28, 2007. Lion Nathan also said Foster's Group Ltd had agreed to bring forward the handover date of Boag's mainland Australia distribution to later this month, from June 2008. "Boag's will pay Foster's $6.4 million for the early termination of the distribution agreement and Lion Nathan will assume control of Boag's mainland distribution in mid-January," Lion Nathan said in a statement. Lion Nathan also said that although Boag's managers Pat Riley, Lydon Adams and Richard Benwell had said they planned to leave the firm, they had agreed to stay on in a consultancy role until September to ensure a smooth integration. Asia's largest listed food, beverages and packaging group disposed of Melbourne- based National Foods and Boag's, under deals that allow its key shareholder, Kirin, to increase its footprint in Australia. Lion Nathan bought the historic Launceston brewer for $325 million in November last year.Boag's will join the ranks of Lion Nathan's other beer brands, such as Hahns, Extra Dry, Speights, Steinlager, Tooheys, and XXXX Gold. Lion Nathan previously said it would keep brewing in Launceston and that job losses were unlikely.

Oil starts 2008 at record highs

January 3, 2008 - 8:21AM

The price of oil on Wednesday hit 100 US dollars a barrel here for the first time, providing a new jolt to oil-dependent economies, particularly the United States.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for February, briefly reached a record 100 US dollars per barrel in intraday trade before easing back. It closed up a hefty 3.64 US dollars from Monday's close at a record 99.62 US dollars.
Its previous all-time intraday high was 99.29 US dollars on November 21, followed by an all-time closing peak of 96.55 US dollars on November 23.
In London, Brent North Sea crude for February soared 3.99 US dollars to settle at a record 97.84 US dollars per barrel after hitting an intraday historic high of 98 US dollars.
Markets were closed Tuesday for the New Year holiday.
"Oil prices surged on the first trading day of the year on the back of cold weather and political violence in Nigeria and Algeria -- two OPEC members that have both been key sources of incremental US imports in the face of declining short-haul Mexican and Venezuelan supplies," said Antoine Halff, an analyst at Newedge Group.
The White House ruled out tapping the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPRO).
"The SPRO is supposed to be used for emergencies. We know that markets work. And this president would not use the SPRO to manipulate, unless it was a true emergency," said spokeswoman Dana Perino.
US President George W. Bush "wants to increase supply. And doing a temporary release of the SPRO is not going to change prices very much. We know that from past history," said Perino.
The surge in oil prices drove US stocks lower. "As crude rallies, stocks continue to slide. The decline is broad-based, considering all sectors other than energy (up 0.5 percent) are posting a loss of 1.0 percent or larger," analysts at Briefing.com wrote.
Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading, explained the factors supporting crude prices: "More violence in Nigeria, concerns about stability in Pakistan, oil-inventory expectations and good old-fashioned cold winter weather."
At least 12 people were killed over the New Year's holiday period in Nigeria's oil capital Port Harcourt, raising fears that crude output could be further reduced.
Violence by militants has reduced Nigeria's oil output by about a fifth since the start of 2006.
The unrest "raises concerns that a return to chaos could begin to disrupt international oil flows again," said John Kilduff at MF Global.
Elsewhere, an official report due Thursday was expected to show that crude oil inventories in the United States, the world's top energy consumer, have fallen for a seventh week in a row.
Falling inventories amid the northern hemisphere winter, the peak demand period for heating fuel, is helping to lift prices.
"Crude prices are drawing some support from (expectations of) a further decline in crude stocks in a weekly US inventories report," said Sucden analyst Andrey Kryuchenkov.