Tassie farmers leading the way on World Environment Day

The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) today highlighted the fact that farmers are leading the way in caring for our environment.

“Caring for the environment goes hand in hand with agriculture,” said Jan Davis, TFGA CEO. “And Tasmanian farmers have been ahead of the game for decades.”

“Research shows that 94 percent of Australian farmers actively work on natural resource management, and primary industries in Australia have led the nation when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” she noted.

“Farmers actively work to conserve our native vegetation, wetlands and rivers.

“We support the World Environment Day initiative as a way to raise awareness of environmental issues whilst acknowledging the good work already taking place within agriculture when it comes to caring for our environment, and supplying fresh and healthy food for Australians.”

World Environment Day in 2013 is seeking to share the message ‘Think. Eat. Save’ – a message that Tasmanian farmers can relate to.

“Food wastage is a growing issue in Australia and globally. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted globally. Australians throw away approximately 7.5 million tonnes of food every year – some 361 kilograms per person. As farmers, we work hard to nurture and grow food to sustain our population, and it is important to us to ensure that that food goes towards nourishing people, rather than ending up in our rubbish bins,” Ms Davis said.

“And that’s not taking into the account the wastage that occurs between paddock and plate – approximately 40 percent of fruit and vegetables are discarded before they even reach supermarkets because of high consumer standards about appearance. That’s perfectly good produce going to waste for no good reason.”

As well as raising the issue of food wastage, World Environment Day is also highlighting the importance of buying and eating Australian made produce.

“We’re lucky in Australia to have ready access to nutritious, fresh, affordable food – everything from fruit and vegetables, to grains and dairy and meat and fish,” Ms Davis said.

“Buying Australian made has the positive effect of supporting our farmers who, as custodians of close to 61 percent of Australia’s land mass, maintain and nurture our environment daily.

World Environment Day is taking place today, Wednesday 5 June.
TFGA chief executive Jan Davis