MEDIA RELEASE


16 August 2011: CANEGROWERS draws battle lines on diuron

CANEGROWERS says the sugar industry’s wins should be recognised in the fight to retain diuron. The peak group has mounted a full-scale campaign to retain the vital management tool for the industry. It says access to essential agrichem diuron, for which there is no viable alternative, must be kept in play while the peak group redoubles its calls for resources to be put into the development of a practical replacement for use in sugarcane.

CANEGROWERS says the wins achieved by growers are nothing short of impressive and should be taken into account. “After all, it is the assistance provided though the Australian Government’s Reef Rescue initiative that has empowered cane growers to take up the gauntlet and drive a process which has seen them voluntarily halve the label rates of diuron – below the label recommendations stipulated by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA),” says CANEGROWERS CEO Steve Greenwood.

“CANEGROWERS is taking their case to the state and federal government saying the adoption achieved through the proactive Reef Rescue project is proof incarnate that when government empowers growers to drive the change process, they will bring it home quicker and more sustainably than anything achieved though the heavy hand of regulation.”

According to Greenwood, the main hindrance to adoption is the exorbitant cost often attached to practice change. “Cane growers want to get on board with the best available practices and technology as quickly as possible – and this is evidenced by their buy-in to the Reef Rescue program,” says Greenwood.

On top of nearly $23.7 million in government support directed to the sugarcane industry for implementation of new practices under Reef Rescue so far, cane growers have doubled that welcome kick-start – spending well over $41 million of their own hard earned time and money on adopting new practices and technologies.

Pending the outcome of an official review of the APVMA’s environmental assessment of diuron being commissioned by CANEGROWERS, Greenwood says if the science shows that the reduced rates now being used by the cane industry are no longer impacting water quality and the reef, then the important herbicide should get a stay of execution to give the industry time to develop viable alternatives.

Media comment: Steve Greenwood | CANEGROWERS CEO| 0488 721 156
More information: Suzi Moore | CANEGROWERS Communications | 0427 641 239 or 07 3864 6444



BACKGROUND: The proof in grower-driven programs > Reef Rescue from June 2008 to December 2010

• 1051 cane farmers have received nearly $23.7 million of incentives and invested $41.7 million of their own cash and in-kind to improve their practices over 393,000 ha.
• Cane growers have improved fertiliser practices over 126,000 ha, budgeting crop nutrition more precisely, and using state of the art technology to apply fertiliser.
• The cane industry has improved pesticide application to 61,000 ha, now calibrating spray nozzles and using the latest spraying technology. Cane farmers have invested in global positioning systems (GPS) and autosteer tractors and harvesters to minimise use of pesticides. These practices also minimise costs of machinery, labour and fuel.
• 138,000 hectares of cane land is now under crop rotation and soil management practices such as zero or minimum tillage. These practices minimise erosion, decrease water use, and improve fertility.
• These practices applied to laser levelled fields help reduce soil compaction and enable growers to reuse runoff water in irrigation systems.