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Food and Agribusiness
- 11 Apr 12 Branding your beef Intellectual property is an extremely valuable asset but its importance in the agricultural industry, particularly for cattle producers, does not always get the attention it deserves. Brett Heading and Sarah North outline the intricacies of this often over-looked issue.
- 9 Mar 12 Foreign investment in Australian agriculture – Senate enquiry due to report In response to growing public pressure and media attention, primarily focused on concerns over Australia’s food security, the Federal Government last year established a senate enquiry and commissioned a report on the level of foreign investment in Australia’s agribusiness sector. In particular the enquiry was to review the application of the ‘national interest test’ when screening foreign acquisitions of Australian farm land. The senate enquiry is due to report back this month. In the meantime, we take a look at the impacts of a recently issued policy statement from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).
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29 Feb 12
ACCC win highlights dangers of misleading food claims
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has successfully prosecuted a prominent chicken producer in relation to the false and misleading use of the term ‘free to roam’.
The ACCC is interested in advertising by all food producers and will ensure their advertising and packaging is accurate and does not convey a misleading impression. An expanded range of investigative and enforcement powers of the ACCC make it far easier to put suppliers to proof when it comes to the claims made in respect of their products, and to pursue suspected infringements. McCullough Robertson Partner, Paul McLachlan outlines the decision and its impact in practical terms. - 10 Feb 12 Foreign Investment into Agribusiness: an opportunity for Australia Foreign investment into Australia’s farmland and agricultural businesses has gained a great deal of media attention in recent times.
- 7 Dec 11 Carbon farming framework established in Queensland Legislative amendments under the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 (Qld) (WRR Act) came into effect on 1 December 2011. While you wouldn’t know it from its title, the WRR Act has paved the way for landholders in Queensland to participate in the Federal Government’s recently introduced Carbon Farming Initiative.
- 26 Aug 11 Senate inquiry into foreign investment in agricultural land and businesses Agribusiness and foreign investment specialists, Diana Lohrisch, Janelle Moody and Duncan Bedford discuss the implications of the Senate Inquiry into foreign investment.
- 22 Aug 11 Farmers struggling after live export ban lifted In this video, McCullough Robertson’s agribusiness lawyer, Trent Thorne, talks to Sky Business News about the impact of the live export ban and why more assistance is needed to save jobs and livelihoods.
- 5 Aug 11 Impacts from the live export ban and risks to rural communities In this video, McCullough Robertson’s agribusiness lawyer, Trent Thorne, talks to Sky Business News about the impacts of the live export ban and the risks to rural communities.
- 14 Jul 11 Foreign investment - should farming land be subject to stricter control? Recent land acquisitions by foreign-owned companies have shone the spotlight on an issue of growing concern to some in the food and agribusiness sector.
- 28 Jun 11 Indonesia live cattle export ban Australian cattle producers hit hard by the ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia could face further pain from damages claims over breach of contract, McCullough Robertson's David Downie tells Sky News Business TV in this interview.
- 16 Jun 11 Ban on live exports a force majeure event? The entire cattle production supply chain could be hit hard by the ban on live exports to Indonesia. Businesses from pastoralists to transporters could face further pain as they are potentially up for claims for damages flowing from breach of contract.
- 7 Feb 11 Major changes to Queensland land rich duty - timing is critical The DEEDI has proposed changes to the framework for overlapping coal and coal seam gas tenements in the draft Mines and Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 (Qld) and consultation paper released last week.
- 25 Jan 11 Federal Government carbon initiative - submissions on consultation paper by early February One of the legislative changes currently being considered by the Federal Government is the carbon farming initiative. A consultation paper was released for public comment. Our lead lawyers in food and agribusiness, Diana Lohrisch and Climate Change expert, Tim Hanmore, discuss the initiative.
