Media release - 8 December
2009 - Sugarcane growers in the Wet Tropics
region of the Great Barrier Reef catchment
will receive $420,000 funding from the Rudd
Government for the Reef Rescue Water Quality
Grants and Partnerships.
The funding, under Caring
for our Country, will help more sugarcane
growers to improve the quality of water
flowing from their farms into the Great
Barrier Reef.
Minister for the Environment,
Heritage and the Arts Peter Garrett, and
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry Tony Burke, said the $200 million
Reef Rescue program aimed to reduce the
amount of nutrients, pesticides and sediments
impacting on the Reef.
"The Wet Tropics
region has a significant influence on overall
Reef water quality, with improvements in
this area critical to building the resilience
of corals to rising sea temperatures and
other climate change effects," Mr Garrett
said.
Mr Burke said the funding
builds on the $4.27 million already announced
by the Rudd Government to help ensure the
sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef.
"Reef Rescue-funded
projects are helping farmers use new technology
to continually improve land management practices
in horticulture, grazing, dairy and the
sugarcane industry," Mr Burke said.
"Sugarcane farmers
have been proactive in adopting new techniques
to increase sustainability and profitability,
delivering wins for both the reef and the
industry.
"For example, I've
seen how farmers are using global positioning
systems in tractors to allow more precise
planting and application of fertilisers
and pesticides.
"Hooded sprayers
are enabling more controlled herbicide application,
and zonal tillage is reducing sediment runoff
by minimising soil disturbance."
The Terrain Natural
Resource Management group have been working
to deliver Reef Rescue projects in the Wet
Tropics.
Mr Burke and Mr Garrett
praised sugarcane growers for embracing
Reef Rescue so enthusiastically.
In the call for applications
for the first Reef Rescue funding round
in September 2009, more than 70 per cent
of applications to Terrain NRM were from
the cane industry.
So far this year 82
sugarcane farmers in the Wet Tropics have
received water quality grants.
This additional $420,000
in funding will allow a further 16 projects
from this round to go ahead.
For more information on sustainable land
management in the Wet Tropics visit www.terrain.org.au
For more information on Reef Rescue go to
www.nrm.gov.au
