Environment
Farmers fear for future as supermarkets crunch costs
13 March
Producers and farmers warn of a mass exodus from the agriculture industry because of the low prices being paid for their goods by major supermarkets. A Senate committee examining supermarket prices has held hearings on Tuesday at Orange in the...[Read More]
Some green shoots ahead for agricultural production
6 March
Agricultural production values are expected to rebound slightly with forecasts of recovering livestock prices. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences said a small increase in agricultural production of up to six...[Read More]
Clean Up Australia going strong
6 March
More than 750,000 Australians have donned gloves and cleaned our beaches, rivers and parks in the nation's largest community environment event. Besides full garbage bags, many first-time Clean Up Australia Day volunteers will carry away a fresh...[Read More]
Screening research boosts disease resistance for crops
28 February
Identifying new genes in plant pathogens and boosting security within crops is one step closer following a rapid screening platform developed by the CSIRO. The rapid-gene screening platform can identify new avirulence (Avr) effector genes in...[Read More]
Australia’s first hydrogen tractor to be trialled
28 February
Australia should have its first hydrogen tractor by the middle of the year as part of a $50 million investment in sustainable agriculture research. The tractor, which is being procured from Europe, will be tested in an Australian landscape under...[Read More]
Australia needs to ‘back’ itself as agri tech leader
21 February
Australia doesn't promote itself enough as a world leader in agricultural technology, a major agri food tech conference has been told. "We don't actually back ourselves," the founder of agritech start-up Goterra Olympia Yarger has told...[Read More]
Fossil fuel carbon levy would fund climate ‘solutions’
14 February
Imposing a levy on fossil fuel companies as proposed by a green industry think tank would be a boon for employment, help lower living costs and underpin another round of prosperity to rival the mining boom. That's the promise of leading economist...[Read More]
Climate risk assessment based on dream 1.5C scenario
14 February
Australia's first climate risk assessment will be based on a scenario well below the current trajectory of a "hellish" 3C rise in global temperatures. The assessment has been billed a crucial part of Australia's climate change response. It...[Read More]
Study indicates climate change clock forward a decade
7 February
A tiny sea sponge that lives for hundreds of years could prove global warming has raised temperatures for longer than previously projected. Scientists have found that sclerosponges found in Caribbean waters grow for up to 300 years and possess an...[Read More]
Farmers cashing in on renewable energy opportunities
7 February
One in five people living in regional Australia believe renewable energy will provide the biggest opportunity for their area over the next two decades. A survey of almost 700 people was undertaken by Farmers for Climate Action in areas with a...[Read More]
Spider webs help scientists unravel secrets of the wild
31 January
Spider webs are firming as the next big thing for scientists who have the tricky task of keeping tabs on what's living where in the wild. A new Curtin University study has shown webs are excellent natural traps of environmental DNA - the tiny...[Read More]
Dutton backs salmon farmers amid water quality woes
31 January
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says pausing salmon farming in Tasmania's Macquarie Harbour would be a political decision and has rejected calls to stop the industry in order to save an endangered fish. Mr Dutton was in Macquarie Harbour...[Read More]
Plastic makes up the majority of Aussie marine litter
24 January
Plastic made up more than three-quarters of the litter collected from Australia's urban waterways and catchments in the past three years, new research shows. Food wrappers, polystyrene, bottle caps and unidentifiable shards of hard and soft...[Read More]
Threatened species list ballooned in 2023, data shows
24 January
Australia's list of imperilled species ballooned in 2023, with a record number of new plants, animals and ecosystems deemed in danger of extinction. The Australian Conservation Foundation says 144 new entries were added last year, including...[Read More]
Banana farmers seek retail support after flooding, rain
17 January
A month of devastating weather is set to impact banana quality and supply from far north Queensland, a veteran farmer has warned. But Diane Sciacca, who has grown bananas for almost 40 years, hopes consumers will understand and support the...[Read More]