10 October
2006 - Minister for the Environment and Heritage,
Senator Ian Campbell, today congratulated Australia’s
oldest family-owned winery, Yalumba, on becoming
Australia’s first “Leader” under the Australian
Government’s Greenhouse Challenge Plus Programme.
“Yalumba has very successfully
developed a comprehensive environmental management
plan that covers their entire wine making process,”
Senator Campbell said.
“The company recorded a decrease
of 9.5 per cent in greenhouse emissions for every
litre of wine produced at its Angaston site in
South Australia, demonstrating its strong commitment
to working with the Government to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.”
According to the most recent
projections, Australia's greenhouse measures are
expected to deliver 85 million tonnes a year of
emissions savings towards meeting Australia's
Kyoto target.
Senator Campbell said Yalumba
was one of more than 1000 businesses across Australia
that has joined the Greenhouse Challenge Plus
Programme, helping cut our greenhouse gas emissions
by 15 million tonnes a year by the end of the
decade.
Yalumba will formally be acknowledged
during an event to welcome new members to the
programme, being held tonight at Parliament House
in Canberra.
“It is a great pleasure to be
welcoming another 28 new members into the programme,
an Australian Government and industry partnership,
that is delivering practical action to tackle
climate change,” Senator Campbell said.
Members achieve the status of
Associate Member, Member or Leader, depending
on their ability to set and achieve greenhouse
emissions goals, and the detail of their emissions
reporting.
The Yalumba Wine Company joined
the programme in 1999, making it one of the first
agricultural enterprises to do so. Its low-emissions
plan involves all aspects of the wine production
process, including transportation, waste, recycling
and land-use activities.
The Greenhouse Challenge Plus
Programme is part of the Australian Government’s
almost $2 billion national strategy, which is
working to cut greenhouse gas emissions and build
an effective global response to climate change.
Information on the Greenhouse
Challenge Plus Programme: www.greenhouse.gov.au/challenge
Rob Broadfield
