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Food Processing

Bulk honey imports started during the millennium drought. Now at near-record levels beekeepers aren't happy

Beekeepers say cheap foreign honey is pushing prices down to unsustainable levels but importers say they are providing options to value-conscious shoppers.
Four jars of honey sitting on a bench

Almost $10m of Sara Lee debt to creditors won't be paid, hurting small providers

The desserts manufacturer is in administration, but the company will not repay a "shocking amount of money" to its creditors.
A fence in front of the Sara Lee factory in Lisarow

Sara Lee bought by same family that saved Darrell Lea

Dessert manufacturer Sara Lee is being sold after it went into voluntary administration last October.
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Sara Lee sign in Lisarow.

Farmers relieved ACCC will investigate supermarkets but say problem goes beyond pricing

Farmers say the current food supply chain model is a "broken system" that gives supermarkets too much power and long-term solutions are needed.
A shopping trolley full of essentials items like fruit, water, and eggs

Friends mix cultures, local ingredients for refreshing gazpacho

Two friends — one from Spain, the other from Mexico — find the perfect ingredients for cold tomato soup in Western Australia's Midwest.
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Two women in brightly lit commercial kitchen

Consumers may face more hot-chip potato shortages as heatwaves become more widespread

The humble vegetables are susceptible to storms, heavy rainfall and high temperatures. Frequent extreme weather events make the crop vulnerable.
Terry Buckley kneels in a potato field holding some freshly harvested potatoes.

Aussie lamb prices expected to rise in coming weeks following spike in saleyard sheep prices

After Australia's two largest supermarket chains were accused of delaying price reductions for lamb despite a plummet in saleyard prices, questions now turn to how long it will take for them to increase prices as the market improves.
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Lamb meat on supermarket shelf

Government threatens to pull 'all levers' to ensure supermarkets pass on cost savings, as grocery code review continues

The federal government says it will use all options available to make sure supermarkets are pricing goods fairly, as it announces a former Labor minister was quietly appointed before Christmas to continue the government's groceries probe.
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A supermarket employee walking down an isle with food stocked on shelves.

Oyster farmers in NSW seek weather protection

The oyster industry has been the most valuable aquaculture industry in New South Wales for more than 100 years. However, recent weather events have threatened the industry - leading farmers to look to new ways to keep their businesses afloat.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 31 seconds

Family businesses find sweet success in fruit and vegetable export market

What's in a name? When it comes to Bundaberg, plenty — and producers of everything from ginger beer to strawberries are capitalising on it.
A photo of the PM holding a bottle of ginger beer smiling, surrounded by a group of smiling and laughing people.

A Tasmanian abattoir's licence to export calves has been suspended following animal welfare concerns

The federal government has partially suspended Tasmanian Quality Meats' export registration and placed several conditions on the business. Any decisions about domestic market supply is up to the Tasmanian government.
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Two people drag calves by their limbs along an abattoir floor.

Families at this school know exactly where their Christmas hams come from

Parents in Lucindale, in South Australia's south-east, can just ask their children to find out how the pig that became their Christmas ham lived.
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Small pigs in a pen with straw

These watermelons are taking a little longer to grow due to fires, with heat still on for harvest workers

While Central Australia’s largest melon farm's yields have been affected by bushfire ash this year, these workers from Timor-Leste still have plenty of harvesting, and singing, ahead of them. 
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Desert Springs Farm watermelon harvest

China lifts restrictions on Australian abattoirs as trade tensions ease

Analysts say the protracted bans were part of a campaign of economic punishment conducted by China against Australia due to political tensions.
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Abattoir staff in white hard hats, grey overalls and blue aprons process meat hanging from the roof of a large room

Farmers 'get creative' with bonus incentives to keep key workers

As worker shortages worsen across Australia, some farmers are offering enticements such as cash bonuses, housing and food to retain prized employees.
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Oyster farmers standing in the water

Farmer angry over treatment of his animals in secret video says he was told by abattoir of 'horrible' activists

When farmer Matt Tack saw a video of his livestock being abused inside a Tasmanian abattoir, it was gut-wrenching — but when he raised his concerns with the facility "all we got was why these animal rights activists were horrible people".
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A farmer in a field with cows.

More chicken and veg, less cow to feed — and save — the world, says UN at climate summit

Wealthy countries will need to cut the amount of red meat they eat if they're going to meet climate goals, according to a sustainable food road map launched at the UN climate summit in Dubai.
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Cuts of beef sit displayed in a butcher.

'Distressing' footage reveals alleged animal cruelty at Tasmanian abattoir

Tasmanian Primary Industries Minister Jo Palmer has labelled the footage as 'distressing' and vowed a strong government response.
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ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 54 seconds

'Never seen anything like this': Abattoir facing export suspension after footage released

The federal government issues a Tasmanian abattoir with a draft notice to suspend its export licence for a year after confronting footage obtained by animal rights activists raises questions about slaughter practices. WARNING: This story contains depictions of animals in distress.
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Calf looks at the camera.

Minister for food proposed as farmers seek accountability for 'avalanche of bad ideas'

A year-long parliamentary inquiry focused on the future of Australia's food security recommends introducing a minister for food among its 35 recommendations to the federal government.
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Shelves of fresh produce at a grocery store - red capsicums, cauliflower, kale and cucumbers

Australia's largest canned vegetable producer is selling Thai corn in supermarkets

Simplot Australia, which owns brands including Edgell, says natural disasters have led to a shortage of Australian-grown vegetables, forcing it to look outside the country for supply.
A tin with a picture of yellow corn

'Cutting-edge' automation has this abattoir back in business, but will there be jobs for skilled workers?

A major upgrade to a southern New South Wales abattoir means the high-tech revamp will reduce the "labour skill component", but management says overall staff numbers will stay the same.
Four men wearing hard hats and aprons work in an abattoir

With Christmas just around the corner, these crustaceans are in high demand

A fourth-generation farmer says orders for yabbies are going gangbusters again this festive period, as people look for affordable seafood alternatives for Christmas lunch. 
man holding yabby

The 'soul-destroying' situation behind Australia's shrinking dairy industry

Do you know where your milk comes from? If you're in Queensland there's half a chance it's travelled through NSW and Victoria, possibly from a dairy up to 2,000 kilometres away.
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A farmer in a blue shirt and shorts cuddles a cow around its head

Australian goat meat exports to China surge by 4,000 per cent in a year

Meat and Livestock Australia says the number of goats slaughtered in Australia has risen by almost 50 per cent since 2022 as China's appetite for the product continues to grow.
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A lot of goats in some stock yards.