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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-24 Daily Xml
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FOOD AND WINE INDUSTRY

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (15:15): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries a question about premium food and wine.

Leave granted.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: The minister has spoken in this place and on a number of occasions about the government's premium food and wine strategic priority. Can the minister tell the chamber about how the South Australian food and wine industries are being recognised for their great produce?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:16): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. The South Australian food and wine producers are certainly continuing to punch well above their weight. South Australia's food industry already has an enviable reputation, and I was very pleased to recently note that, at the eighth ABC delicious. Produce Awards, South Australia was successful in winning two award categories: the Heritage Award and the Outstanding Provedore.

These awards recognised outstanding contributions by small artisan producers, and nominations were judged by a panel of leading chefs and industry experts, including South Australia's own food entity Maggie Beer. I understand that the entries fell into four food categories—From the Earth, Dairy, Paddock and Sea—with judges taking into special consideration quality and sustainability of the produce.

I am very pleased to advise the chamber that the Kangaroo Island Ligurian honey bees won the Heritage Award, which was wonderful to see. This is a category that celebrates the preservation of rare breeds and food heritage of Australia. Maggie Beer noted that the Ligurian honey bees were 'a truly special, pure strain of these bees found nowhere else in the world'.

I am advised that the Kangaroo Island bee population is believed to represent the last remaining of this pure stock. Apparently, it's an Italian race, if you like, now not found anywhere else in the world. As such, they are considered, obviously, to be a very important genetic source for queen breeders and for other research.

I was also really pleased to see that one of our South Australian premium food and wine from our clean environment ambassadors, Richard Gunner, succeeded in winning the Outstanding Provedore Award for his acclaimed Feast! Fine Foods paddock-to-butcher business. I understand Richard's flagship brands—the Coorong Angus beef and the Suffolk lamb—were celebrated by the judges, with Matt Preston of TV's MasterChef noting, 'Richard's 24-hour commitment to his passion has resulted in this well-deserved honour'.

I am advised that Richard established Feast! Fine Foods in 2001 to showcase the best premium beef and lamb grown on his family property in the Coorong, and this meat is served in some of South Australia's best restaurants. It has been distributed interstate to some of the nation's finest, including Quay and Rockpool. As the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and obviously a very proud South Australian, I am very pleased to see Richard's success but also to see that this sort of success has helped educate consumers in other states about the quality of South Australian produce.

There were a number of South Australian finalists. There was the B.-d. Farm Paris Creek, fresh unsalted butter; Woodside Cheese Wrights, Monet Cheese—they do fabulous things there; Kolophon Capers, Caper Berries; Pangkarra Foods, wholegrain spaghetti and wholegrain durum flour. Of course, we are famous for our very high quality durum flour.

There was also Cornucopia Farming, olive oil; Nolans Road, certified organic extra virgin olive oil; Rustico, pane di pasta dura; Kangaroo Island pure grain red nipper lentils; Yorke Peninsula pure grain chickpeas, SchuAm Pork, Berkshire Pork; Mayura Station, full-blood Wagyu beef; Clean Seas Aquaculture, kingfish; and San Jose Smallgoods—I think there were some pork products and mussel products there. Even the Adelaide Showground Farmer's Market at Wayville was part of the fabulous line-up of finalists. As I said, we have a team that punches well above its weight, and we should feel very proud of what our primary producers are able to achieve.

I would like to mention that, of those finalists, five are also South Australian Premium Food and Wine from our Clean Environment ambassadors. I specifically congratulate Kris Lloyd (Woodside Cheese), Dee Nolan (Nolan Roads), Callumn Hand (Dirt(y) Inc.), Haagen Stehr AM (Clean Seas), and Andrew Puglisi on their achievements. It is great to see our ambassadors up there and again shining the light on what we do here in South Australia.

With the South Australian food industry, there are tremendous opportunities in front of us. Our Premium Food and Wine from our Clean Environment strategic priority is assisting in capitalising on the growing demand for our products. The government is committed to growing our food sector by positioning South Australia so that the inherent wonderful qualities of our food and wine continue to be recognised and valued locally, throughout Australia and, of course, also internationally. I congratulate all of the South Australian finalists on their wonderful achievements.

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