Food & Fibre Gippsland launch at Farmworld

The official launch of Food & Fibre Gippsland will take place at Farm World, Lardner Park on Friday April 12.

The program, which includes a networking lunch, will highlight the projects already underway with the collaborative force formed through the recent amalgamation of the East Gippsland Food Cluster and Agribusiness Gippsland.

Insights will also be provided into further initiatives in Food & Fibre Gippsland’s pipeline to be facilitated in collaboration with industry partners and stakeholders, including government of all levels, researchers, educators and community groups.

The program starts at 11.15am and will include the announcement of details of an innovative new Excellence in Agribusiness Awards program, before breaking for lunch and then delving into the potential of how to turn food waste into profit in an interactive workshop presented by the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre.

The workshop will finish at 3.30pm.

Attendees will be encouraged to open up conversations and opportunities for current and future members, to share challenges and ideas, and learn from each other as collaborators, not competitors.

C0-deputy chair Stuart Quigley said Food & Fibre Gippsland was passionate about knowledge-sharing and capacity-building with a common goal to create positive outcomes for the whole sector across the region.

Food & Fibre Gippsland had a determined focus to continue to be an integral support and stakeholder in projects, initiatives and activities that make a positive impact on productivity, profitability, prosperity and, in the bigger picture, the planet, he said.

“In a region this large, with a sector presenting so much variety in terms of businesses and types of products, we are committed to representing and being inclusive of diverse interests,” Mr Quigley said.

Bulmer Farms managing director Andrew Bulmer, who shares the deputy-chair position, encouraged anyone with an interest in the region’s $7 billion-dollar sector to take part in the launch and workshop.

“It’s great opportunity to connect with the newly amalgamated entity and see for yourself that we have a unified vision to make Gippsland’s food and fibre sector a constant talking point, not only in Victoria, but across Australia, and even more ambitiously, the world,” Mr Bulmer said.

“We as want to hear more about your ideas and needs.”

Tickets for the launch event are available online and cost $35 for Food & Fibre Gippsland members and $55 for non-members. Book a trybooking.com/BBQTF – or click on the ‘buy tickets link’ on the landing page of the Food & Fibre Gippsland website at foodandfibregippsland.com.au.

Attendees will need to pay their ticket entry to Farm World separately at the gate.

Gippsland Farmer

The Gippsland Farmer is a monthly agricultural newspaper reporting on rural news and distributed FREE and direct to an area covering from Cann River through to South Gippsland. For more than 40 years Gippsland Farmer has reported on a range of issues and industries including dairy, beef, vegetables, sheep, goats, poultry, organic farming, and viticulture.