Australian Barramundi Farmers Association

Conference Time
We are getting very close to the Annual Conference next month to be held at the Gold coast, Queensland. The conference is a joint venture with the Australian Prawn Farmers’ Association and is looking like a great success already.
If you have not registered yet, please do so. Graham can you put the web address where they can get the registration form

Call for Nominations
At the AGM, we elect the office bearers for the Association for the next year. I will be stepping down as president, so that is one position that needs to be filled. Also, we have operated without a NSW delegate and a nomination from that State will be welcome.
Please contact the Secretary, Trevor Anderson or Graham Dalton with nominations.

Fish Naming Rights
We have recently received a letter from Hon Mark Vaile, Minister for Trade (and right now the Acting Prime Minister). He advises that in the view of the Department , to allow us exclusive use of the name Barramundi and to exclude imported product from the use of the name would be to break WTO rules.
This is disappointing. We have a number of options, but it would be best to leave it to a meeting of all members at the Conference to go through the issues.

Barramundi Gold Medals
Julie Tyson from the Northern Territory has been working on our behalf to help organise the Sydney Royal Aquaculture competition for Barramundi.
This is on! We need producers to get behind this event. It is a great opportunity to promote this industry and to promote individual farms. If you have any queries or suggestions contact Julie on: hdbarra@ozemail.com.au. But please get behind this event! Applications will be available soon and forms will need to be submitted by August 12, 2005. There will be two size categories, fillet size fish and plate size.

Genetic Testing
The Executive has agreed to undertake genetic testing of imported fish compared with Australian Barramundi. This is being done by QDPI&F and will provide information to decide how different as the stocks and whether this can further our call for the barramundi name.

World Congress on Seafood Safety, Quality and Trade
Seafood Services is hosting the world congress in Sydney 14 – 16 September 205. There is a big agenda of interest to the industry.
Visit: www.iafi.net/congress
The association will have a stand at the conference to showcase our product and introduce it to overseas and local buyers. The icon fish for the congress is “Barramundi”, there was really no other logical choice. There are only ten stands at the conference. Over the next weeks we will organise our participation and how you can support the stand at the conference.

Through participation we will get a display area; shared facilities for live, chilled or frozen products; a business matching program through Austrade; inclusion in a full colour brochure specifically on this event; opportunities with local and international media; one (1) complimentary pass to the 6th World Congress of Seafood Safety, Quality & Trade, prospects of additional domestic exposure through Fine Food Australia, plus much more

National Seafood Primary Production and Processing Standard
The new standard is to be launched by Hon Chris Pyne MP at the Sydney Fish Market 0n 28 June 2005. We will make sure copies are available for members.

New Logo for ABFA
The Executive is working on a new and exciting logo for the Association. WA Executive member John Hutton has been doing a great job. I am still deciding whether it would be best to put it to a vote and risk a camel (a horse designed by a committee) or unveil a surprise at a launch at the Conference.
Anyway, thanks John for some fabulous ideas and designs.

R&D
Marty Phillips, the Queensland rep will be contacting land based pond producers looking for a contribution to the water quality project. There have been some funding changes and we are looking for a number of producers to contribute to this project. If we can get some industry funds, FRDC and QDPI will do the rest. Water quality is one of our highest priorities for research and if we can get better results, it will be much easier to grow farms when we need.

Community Perceptions of Aquaculture
ABFA has a number of copies of the summary document following the survey undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. There is a wealth of information in the document relevant to marketing so if you want a copy, call Graham Dalton.

Queensland Growers Support Gourmet Aquaculture
Cris Phillips and Michael Lisle are supplying Barramundi for the Hilton Hotel Master Class dinner. The Master Class is an annual event with overseas chefs and over 100 food writers and restaurateurs from around Australia for a week end cook in. The dinner on the Saturday night will feature Queensland farmed seafood as a promotion for the industry and the quality of its product. Queensland farmed oysters, barramundi, red claw crayfish, prawns, scallops, soft shell crabs, Murray cod, jade perch, golden perch and silver perch will be cooked for the 120 guests.

Media Workshop
We still have a few places for people to attend our media training day at the Conference. It will be run by leading media consultants Management Media and will focus on the skills managers need to get their message out across the media. Whether it is selling a good news story about your business or your product, or responding to a public relations disaster, this course will give you essential skills at getting your message across.
Call Graham Dalton to book.

New Member
Welcome to David McIlvenie and Lynnell Williams from Paradise Aquafarm. They are based at Gordonvale in QLD. Paradise Aquafarm specializes in the production of robust, healthy fingerlings in a modern Hatchery facility near Cairns. Since the business began 2 years ago, it has built a strong reputation for the supply of high quality Barramundi fingerlings to the aquaculture industry. They can supply fingerlings or advanced fish for commercial grow out, fish restocking or farm dams. Ph: [07] 4056 2100 Fax: [07] 4056 2892 . Email: tcpg@petos.com.au

Web Page & Membership
We are considering whether to list members names and contact on the web page. The advantage is commercial inquiries may be improved. The disadvantage is chain letters and spam. Let us have your view.

President’s Letter - July 2005