Bundaberg Fruit & Vegetable Growers (BFVG) has recently been involved in several key industry engagement and advocacy activities, strengthening our voice and profile both within the sector and among our decision-makers.
We were proud to attend Hort Connections 2025, the premier event for the Australian horticulture industry.
BFVG chair Craig van Rooyen and his wife Barbara were honoured as finalists in the prestigious Grower of the Year Award, an outstanding recognition of their commitment to excellence in farming and their contributions to the industry.
Their nomination alongside several others in various categories highlights the calibre of growers in our region and the innovation being applied across local farms.
BFVG also proudly represented our region at the Wide Bay Burnett Promotion Night at Queensland Parliament House, an event we have been involved in since its inception.
This event brings together the 93 Members of Parliament and businesses from across the Wide Bay Region to promote the depth and diversity of what Wide Bay has to offer.
For BFVG, it is a vital opportunity to showcase the strength of our horticultural sector including the range and volume of commodities grown and to engage directly with both sides of politics on the issues that matter.
We appreciated the strong turnout from LNP Members and welcomed the opportunity to reconnect with the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition.
While it was a pleasure to catch up with the former Agriculture and Water Ministers, disappointingly, the overall amount of Labor MPs in attendance was low. Nevertheless, our presence ensures that industry priorities remain visible to all parties, including critical portfolio areas such as agriculture, water, transport, energy, industrial relations, business, training, and tourism.
Most recently, BFVG hosted the acting deputy Director-General and Principal Policy Officer from the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Together we toured four farms across the region to provide first-hand insight into the sustainable practices growers are implementing, including grassed inter rows to reduce runoff and netting systems to minimise the impact of flying fox populations. The visit was an opportunity to reinforce the importance of maintaining access to Damage Mitigation Permits (DMPs) for flying fox control.
While DMPs are currently subject to a three-year phase-out ending in 2026, we continue to advocate for their retention as a critical tool—particularly for farms where permanent netting is not feasible due to topography, road proximity, or environmental constraints.
DMPs are already governed by strict regulations, and we support their continued use in a responsible, sustainable way.
Without access to this option, some farms face significant crop losses, which may result in some walking away from the industry.
DMPs are a topic BFVG has advocated strongly for since 2008, they were reinstated in 2012 only to be taken away in 2023 and like many topics in agriculture here we are fighting once more for legislative change to ensure farmers can continue to sustainably put food on peoples plates every day.
