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Fear factor in fresh food supply

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Fear factor in fresh food supply

Fear factor in fresh food supply

A government report has revealed farmers are afraid to speak out on their dealings with the major supermarkets because of a “fear of retribution”.

NSW Farmers Dairy Committee Chair Colin Thompson said the disappointing findings from the inaugural Food and Grocery Code review vindicated the efforts to secure fairness in fresh food supply chains.

“The majority of pay rise negotiations were fruitless for farmers in 2021 and almost a third of major supermarket suppliers cited ‘fear of retribution’ as a reason for not raising issues under the Code,” Mr Thompson said.

“Something is clearly wrong when people are afraid of having their say, and it’s clear that many farmers won’t raise concerns or ask for improved pay arrangements because of how powerful these supermarkets are.”

While Mr Thompson commended Coles and Woolworths for complying with the Code’s voluntary reporting regime, he said there was clear room for improvement in fresh food supply arrangements.

“The perishability of their produce basically means farmers are price-takers and are in a vulnerable position in their supply chains,” Mr Thompson said.

“This dynamic can give rise to abuse of power by bigger players, such as wholesalers and retailers.

“However, we do need to recognise there was some positive feedback, particularly for Aldi.”

Mr Thompson said NSW Farmers had been pushing for change in this space and had a key breakthrough with the Perishable Agricultural Goods (PAG) inquiry and its subsequent findings in late 2020.

“NSW Farmers has advocated for intervention to make supply chains such as dairy, horticulture and poultry meat more equitable – essentially so that farmers can receive the pay they deserve for their produce,” Mr Thompson said.

“Our advocacy led to a Treasury-led ACCC inquiry, which confirmed power dynamics are likely to favour wholesalers, processors and retailers, and the ACCC made a suite of recommendations to help remedy this situation.

“We need firm commitments for legislative reforms to protect farmers from unfair trading practices.”

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Fire and Rescue NSW recording Lithium-Ion battery fires at a rate of five a week NSW

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Lithium-Ion battery fires

Fire and Rescue NSW recording Lithium-Ion battery fires at a rate of five a week NSW

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has expressed concerns about the rising rate of Lithium-Ion battery fires as crews responded to four separate incidents yesterday.

Nine fire trucks rushed to an address in Apprentice Drive at Berkeley, on the state’s Central Coast, just after 5pm yesterday when an electric vehicle charging station caught alight.

Crews established a defensive perimeter around the business, fearing multiple Lithium-Ion truck batteries were at risk of catching fire.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze without further incident.

Around 4pm yesterday, a tradesman drove to the Tingira Heights Fire Station at Lake Macquarie, alerting firefighters that his toolbox was on fire.

The maintenance worker told the crew he was driving when he noticed a large amount of smoke in his rear vision mirror.

Lithium-Ion battery fires

Lithium-Ion battery fires

When he stopped his ute and opened the large toolbox, he found an unattached battery for his hedger ablaze.

The man covered the flames in dirt and drove to the nearby fire station.

Firefighters opened the toolbox and observed the dirt bubbling as the battery had entered a process, known as ‘Thermal Runaway; whereby the cell was off-gassing and threatening to explode.

They submerged the battery in a container of water until the danger had passed.

In a third incident around 12.45pm yesterday, a fire broke out in the rear of a garbage truck travelling along Derby Street at Silverwater, in Sydney’s west.

The driver stopped the truck and tipped the burning rubbish onto the roadway.

FRNSW crews arrived and found one battery amongst around 150 Lithium-Ion cells had entered ‘Thermal Runaway’ and was on fire.

The battery was submerged in water, preventing a chain reaction, and the scene cleaned up.

In a fourth Lithium-Ion battery-related blaze, an e-bike caught fire on the third floor of a 10-storey apartment block at Bankstown, in Sydney’s south-west.

Residents were evacuated from the French Avenue address around 6.30am, as 25 firefighters and four trucks responded to the scene.

Sprinklers were activated and suppressed the flames.

The fire crews extinguished the fire and ventilated the building.

An occupant suffered a superficial burn when he tried to remove the burning e-bike.

FRNSW has recorded 63 Lithium-Ion battery fires to date in 2024, subject to review, at a rate of 5.7 blazes a week.

Seven people have been injured in the fires.

There were 272 Lithium-Ion battery-related fires in 2023, at a rate of 5.2 a week.

Thirty eight people were injured last year.

FRNSW is reinforcing its public messages to households and businesses to use extra caution around Lithium-Ion batteries and related devices.

It warns people:

  • Never sleep or leave home with your Lithium-battery-powered devices charging
  • Don’t leave them constantly on charge
  • If Lithium batteries are damaged or compromised, dispose of them properly
  • Don’t throw them out in the rubbish, they can start garbage truck or rubbish tip fires when compacted
  • Contact your local, approved recycling centre for disposal advice
  • Don’t leave devices charging on beds, sofas or around highly flammable materials
  • Try to charge devices outside if possible
  • Always buy reputable Lithium-battery brands and never ‘mix and match’ components
  • Beware of cheap, substandard Lithium battery-powered devices
  • Avoid dropping, crushing or piercing battery cells
  • Store batteries and devices in a cool, dry area, away from combustible materials
  • Install active smoke alarms in your home/garage
  • Ensure you have a home evacuation plan in the event of fire
  • Don’t store or charge Lithium-Ion-powered devices near exit points in your home or business.

For further information, visit the FRNSW website: https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=9392

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The Northern Rivers Times Newspaper Edition 192

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The Northern Rivers Times Newspaper Edition 192

The Northern Rivers Times Newspaper Edition 192

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Angourie, Byron drownings continue horrific trend

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The Green Pool at Angourie was the site of the drownings of a Sydney teenager on January 14. He jumped from a rock ledge and disappeared. Searchers found his body later that night.

Angourie, Byron drownings continue horrific trend

 

By Tim Howard

The drowning of Sydney teenager who disappeared after plunging into the Green Pool at Angourie on January 14, is part of a trend of drownings in NSW and Australia this summer.

The teen’s death began a tragic week on the NSW coast with a woman drowning at Shelly Beach, in Sydney a few days later and a man in his 20s drowned at Tallow Beach, Byron Bay the following day.

The number of drownings in Australia since December 1 has topped 50 for the first time in a number of years, horrifying Surf Life Saving Australia officials.

The death at Angourie was the 49th in the period from December 1 to January 14 and with at least three more deaths recorded in the ensuing week.

Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said the two beach drownings were a warning to all potential beachgoers.

“Every coastal drowning is a tragedy, but to have two in such a short space of time is a tough reflection on how risky it can be to enter the water,” he said.

“Once again, both of these drownings have occurred at unpatrolled locations and we really must reiterate that if you plan to visit the coastline, the safest thing you can do is head to a beach where you see the red and yellow flags flying.”

Clarence Valley mayor Peter Johnstone said the region was saddened at the news of the teen’s death.

“The Clarence Valley has been deeply saddened by news of the tragic loss of life of a Sydney teenager at Angourie on Sunday,” he said in a press release.

“Although no words can soften the blow of such a loss, I wish to offer sincere condolences to the family and friends of the young man, on behalf of myself and the Clarence Valley community.

Clarence Valley Council will continue to work with authorities on any inquiries relating to the incident.”

The death at Angourie occurred after the teen, believed to be on holiday in the area from Sydney, jumped from a rock ledge into the water at about 3pm on January 14.

He was not seen after that, sparking an intensive search involving police divers, surf life savers and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

Searchers found his body around 10pm the same day.

Police have not released his identity and they are preparing a report for the Coroner on the incident.

The Green Pool at Angourie was the site of the drowning of a Sydney teenager on January 14. He jumped from a rock ledge and disappeared. Searchers found his body later that night.

The Green Pool at Angourie was the site of the drowning of a Sydney teenager on January 14. He jumped from a rock ledge and disappeared. Searchers found his body later that night.

While drownings at Angourie’s green and blue pools were not common, locals have been worried about the behaviour of people visiting the pools.

In 2008 Angourie resident Grant Dwyer was interviewed in mid-January after a 17-year-old was injured plunging down an eight-metre ledge at the green pool.

Mr Dwyer said he was concerned that something was about to go horribly wrong when he saw kids climbing and jumping from spots he had not seen used in the past 30 years.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. There were literally kids on every part of the cliff face,” he said at the time.

“I knew someone was going to get hurt. Kids were doing backflips without checking the depth of the water to see if it was safe.”

But serious problems have been rare with the only recent death in the pools occurring when the body of a 62-yer-old Yamba woman was found in the Blue Pool in 2008.

Clarence Valley Council has clearly signposted the area, which is close to the beach at Angourie.

“For the safety of all users of this beach, please observe the following warnings, regulations, and information symbols; large waves, strong currents, shallow water, sharks, steep walking track, slippery rocks, cliff edge/drop off, and deep water.

“This beach is unpatrolled, and users should be aware of prevailing dangerous beach conditions,”

“Persons swimming at this beach do so at their own risk.”

In addition the council monitors the water quality in the pools, which contain fresh water, for algal blooms.

In the past 20 years the council has closed the pools to swimmers a number of times because of poisonous algae growing in the water.

When the pools are closed, people can swim in the large saltwater rock pool beside the Blue Pool.

The two pools are man-made, although creating a spot destined to become the scene of rites of passage for the many of the region’s youth, was not something the makers had in mind.

In the 1890s the site was quarried for the massive stone blocks that made up the rock walls at Yamba.

Trains carried the stone to the site of the rock walls until the workers cracked open a fresh-water spring.

Within days the quarries filled with fresh water, halting work and trapping the quarry machinery below the rising water is still there.

Locals reported there were times when the machinery was still visible.

 

For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.

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