Agriculture conference to attract industry main players

Further boosting the state’s farm production will be the focus of the inaugural Queensland Agriculture Conference, to be held June 26 in Brisbane.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh said the conference would be one of the most important events for the sector, bringing together hundreds of the state’s top agricultural representatives.

“With its theme of ‘Growing Opportunities’, this one-day event will see all of the main players gathered in one room to discuss major issues in farm production,” Mr McVeigh said.

“The previous Labor Government ignored and undervalued our world-class primary industries. Indeed, under the former government, agriculture did not even have a dedicated department.

“The LNP Government is committed to growing agriculture and ensuring our primary industries regain their rightful leading position in our four-pillar economy.”

The conference follows on from the launch of the Queensland Agriculture Strategy which provides the framework for government and industry to work together to grow agriculture.

“The Strategy will drive our policy agenda to achieve our target of doubling Queensland’s agricultural production by 2040,” Mr McVeigh said.

“A key commitment in the Strategy is the development of the first State of Queensland Agriculture Report which will establish baseline information for the industry and progress on reaching our 2040 growth target. This report will be released at the Conference.”

Conference sessions will be organised around the Strategy’s four key pathways – Resources, Productivity, Markets and Production, and will include discussions on economic issues and agricultural drivers impacting on our priority markets in the G20 and elsewhere.

For further information on the Conference please contact DAFF on 13 25 23 or visit the registration page.

[ENDS] 27 April 2014

Media Contact: Louise Gillis 0408 709 160