Queensland’s cane growers are once again in the spotlight over water quality but this time it’s to showcase their commitment to boosting productivity and profitability on their farms while also protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan said a new feature section on the CANEGROWERS website called Cane to Coast was a great demonstration of the diverse and long-lasting changes being implemented by Queensland’s cane growers thanks to partnership approaches by both federal and state governments.

“Cane to Coast is a great way to showcase what successful partnerships between growers, government and industry can look like, particularly in recent years under the Australian Government Reef Programme,” Mr Galligan said.

“The growers featured in Cane to Coast are just a few of the thousands of Queensland farmers who have been doing remarkable things when it comes to protecting and caring for their environment and the Reef over past decades.”

As the Australian Government Reef Programme project with CANEGROWERS ends this month and the Queensland Government considers further reef regulations which will impact the sugar industry, CANEGROWERS has renewed its call for a continuation of the partnership approach to securing a sustainable industry and a healthy Great Barrier Reef.

Mr Galligan warned that adding more regulations to the sugarcane industry risked alienating farmers and reversing some of the goodwill that had been building in recent years.

“CANEGROWERS sees regulation as a blunt instrument which leads to minimum compliance at the cost of continuing innovation and pursuit of excellence,” he said.

“Cane to Coast is proof of our industry’s commitment to embracing best management practices that can deliver benefits for both the farmer and the environment – practices that are embedded in our Smartcane BMP program.

“More than 70% of the sugarcane farmland in Queensland is now part of this program and almost 300 growers are accredited in its core modules.

“I believe Queensland’s sugarcane industry should be proud of the work it has done to improve its environmental impact. This momentum and commitment must continue if we are to maintain long-lasting positive outcomes for the Reef and our industry.”

Cane to Coast looks back over some of the many stories featured in the Australian Canegrower magazine and in our Virtual Bus Tour YouTube video series, exploring the areas of soil health, nutrient management and water quality.