QUEENSLAND’s cane farmers 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 chief executive officer Dan Galligan said Cane to Coast was a great demonstration of the diverse and long-lasting changes being implemented by Queensland’s cane farmers 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 Program,” 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.”
CANEGROWERS sees regulation as a blunt instrument which leads to minimum compliance at the cost of continuing innovation and pursuit of excellence.
- Dan Galligan, CANEGROWERS
As the Australian Government Reef Program 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 successful partnership approach.
Mr Galligan warned that adding more regulations to the cane 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 per cent 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 features stories on soil health, nutrient management and water quality.