World Grain - September 2018 - 84

FEATURE: PIX/AMC CONFERENCE 2018

David Foote
from Australian
Country Choice
discusses supply
chain opportunities at the 2018
Poultry Information Exchange and
Australasian Milling Conference
in Gold Coast,
Australia.

(located in southern Queensland). He spoke with optimism of the region's potential to become a major regional transport, food production and manufacturing
hub because of current and planned investment in air,
rail and road that will improve access to export markets.
Charles also spoke of government investment that
will improve road and rail infrastructure, turning
Toowoomba into an eastern Australian inland port.
He cited government plans to build a Melbourneto-Brisbane rail line with the potential to run through
Toowoomba and improve the current rail service that is
poorly utilized. Once completed, trains would be using
the line by 2023 at a total cost of $10 billion.
"That's a really important piece to the puzzle and
we've seen two intermodal facilities built and 12 transport logistics companies buy land in the last 12 months
LQ 7RRZRRPED´ &KDUOHV VDLG SRLQWLQJ WR WKH FRQ¿dence business has that the rail line will go through
the town.
trust (when it comes to food decisions) the last member
Most exciting is Toowoomba's Brisbane West
of their family they spoke to who often doesn't have $LUSRUWWKH¿UVW$XVWUDOLDQDLUSRUWLQWKHODVW\HDUV
the knowledge or experience to comment. But we can't WREHSULYDWHO\IXQGHGEXLOWDQGRSHUDWHG$¿UVWIRUUHjust vacate the space. We need to stand up and state gional Australia, the airport connects the region to Asia
the facts. The industry ultimately has to move in the and the rest of the world via a weekly freighter service
direction consumers are demanding, but it is the rate of WR+RQJ.RQJYLD&DWKD\3DFL¿F
change because business needs time to adapt and to re"Toowoomba has a lot of intensive agriculture, inPDLQSUR¿WDEOHDQGSURYLGHGWKH\DUHJLYHQWKDWWLPH cluding beef, poultry and pork, which we see a whole
they can make the changes required."
range of future scenarios where it can be value-added
Speaking on behalf of SunPork, Robert Van and air freighted around the world," Charles said.
Barneveld said there always will be critics, but the inHe also pointed out the positive impacts of the industry should stand up for what it believes in.
vestment in creating jobs, saying in 2011 the region
"Tell them what they need to hear, not what they ex- was reeling from job losses in food production and
pect to hear and stand by your product," Van Barneveld manufacturing.
said. "It does take courage and you will get eggs
"We think the improvements in infrastructure will rethrown at you, but we respect diversity, and everyone place the jobs lost and more.infrastructure does indeed
is entitled to their own view."
build prosperity," Charles said.
There was also a question on media's attention on
In addition to the transport infrastructure, a milk facthose in the industry who do the wrong thing and how tory will be built to revitalize the dairy industry that has
the industry could manage it. Speaking from his ex- been in decline since deregulation. When completed,
perience with coal-seam gas, panelist Shane Charles, the factory is expected to produce 200,000 liters of
CEO of the Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise, fresh milk weekly and 30 million tins of infant formula
said his region has had large community support for annually destined for China and other parts of Asia.
FRDOVHDP JDV DV WKH\ FDQ VHH WKH HFRQRPLF EHQH¿WV
Outside of the information sessions, the event housed
while those communities in major cities are most vo- a trade hall with more than 200 booths and exhibitors
cally against it, drawing media attention.
putting forward the latest in technology and informa"You've got one bad egg (in live export) that will tion for the industry.
shut down the industry," Charles said. "Media like conChris Gillies is a freelance writer based in Sydney, Australia.
ÀLFWDQGQRWGHDOLQJZLWKWKHPDMRULW\´
He may be reached at chris.gillies@jamtincopy.com.au.

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT
Speaking ahead of the panel session, Charles described
the development of Toowoomba and the Surat Basin
84

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