NEWS IN BRIEF: Livestock trailers vandalised, AWN announces new MD, and more

At least two livestock trailers have been vandalised in Wagga Wagga and Goulburn in recent days, with an underground international activist group allegedly responsible for the attacks. NSW Farmers Board Member Alan Brown said the crimes were a scrouge on Australian agriculture and those responsible must be brought to justice immediately.  “This is disgraceful behaviour and it’s clear these activists have no respect for the law,” Mr Brown said. In the wake of the attacks, Mr Brown called on all levels of government to take immediate action to protect farmers from increasingly dangerous activist tactics.  

AWN has announced the appointment of Rick Maybury to the position of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer from July 1 this year. Founding MD John Colley will take over as Chair of AWN whilst Brendon Lunney will step back to Deputy Chair. Mr Colley said: “This is a great day for AWN. Rick Maybury has been with the business for over eight years and following on from his senior roles at Ruralco, he is best positioned to take the company through its next phase of evolution. Rick has overseen the expansion of AWN into Livestock and Real Estate, and he did that during incredibly challenging times when markets were in turmoil.”

On Friday, the NSW Government temporarily banned hay from storm-affected and fire ant-infested areas of southeast Queensland from entering the state, citing biosecurity risks following Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The move follows reports of fire ant colonies rafting on floodwaters in Queensland’s Logan River catchment. Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the ban was a necessary step to prevent further spread, as NSW works to strengthen biosecurity measures against the highly invasive pest.

Farmers for Climate Action (FCA) is calling for policies to support on-farm batteries for all farmers. FCA Chief Executive Officer Natalie Collard said supporting farmers to buy batteries would charge up productivity and turn down farm energy bills. “All farmers would benefit from being able to use the energy they create during the day in the evening time and early in the morning - dairy farmers in particular," Ms Collard said. “Currently, it takes around 10 years for a battery bought for a farm to pay for itself. We need to bring that figure down to around a five year payoff to make it attractive for farmers. Helping farmers lower their energy bills helps keep the cost of producing Australia’s food from increasing even more."

The coveted Zanda McDonald Award has named its 2025 winners, recognising two exceptional young leaders from the primary sector. Australian Jack O’Connor and New Zealander Maegen Blom have taken out the top honours, marking a significant milestone for the Award.

Cattle Australia this week called on both sides of politics to throw their full support behind Australia’s live cattle export industry and push back against new trade barriers around the world. Cattle Australia Chief Executive, Dr Chris Parker, said a whopping 76% of beef processed in Australia in 2024 was exported, generating valuable revenue for the Australian economy and supporting tens of thousands of jobs across rural and regional Australia. “In the run-up to the Federal election, we will also be working hard to secure commitments from both parties to guarantee the future of the live cattle trade," Dr Parker said. Specifically, CA is calling for an investment of $5 million per year for five years to re-establish the Indonesia Australia Red Meat and Cattle Partnership, which ended in 2024 after 10 years of successful collaboration to improve Indonesia’s cattle sector, food security and trade between the two countries.