Slow Food in Australia would like to encourage delegate nominations among producers, indigenous people, chefs and cooks, students, young people and academics. Media and government agency representatives and observers can also be accredited.

To find out more about Terra Madre, please go to the Terra Madre website or watch the short Terra Madre movie from 2008 which can be seen on youtube: Part I and Part II.

Terra Madre is held concurrently with Salone del Gusto, the world’s fair of artisan foods. At this event Terra Madre participants can see and taste some of the finest ‘small, slow food’.

For more information, please contact your nearest convivium or email Slow Food Australia membership services.

The event is being hosted by Slow Food Australia in conjunction with Slow Food Canberra Capital and Country. The inaugural annual meeting provides the first opportunity for members to nominate for election to Slow Food Australia’s board. More details are available from Slow Food Australia membership services.

A programme for the congress and annual meeting will be available shortly.

Australia, which is free of BSE and other devastating livestock diseases such as foot and mouth disease, is one of the world’s largest beef producers. The Australian cattle industry grows about 100 kilograms per year for each Australian, and Australians eat only 37kg per person per year.

On 1 March the government lifted a nine-year ban on beef imports from BSE-affected countries such as the United Kingdom. But this week Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Tony Burke effectively put a two-year stop to the decision by asking the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service to require Biosecurity Australia to conduct an ‘import risk analysis’ for fresh-chilled or frozen beef from countries other than New Zealand.

Burke said the government faced ‘considerable community discussion’ about the methods that would be used to determine protocols for beef imports.

‘There has been significant community concern questioning whether the protocols adequately engaged the community and the extent to which they were different from a regulated import risk analysis,’ the Minister said.

‘These community concerns have been brought to me directly through backbench colleagues and through the media.

‘I have formed a view that conducting an Import Risk Analysis is the best way of reassuring the Australian community that effective protocols will be put in place to provide for the safety of imports.

‘There are three differences between the decision I have taken today and the process available since March 1.

‘This is a formal review process with specified time lines, guaranteed opportunities for community engagement and consultation as well as the added assurance of review by (an) eminent scientists’ group.

‘I stress that the original method for determining protocols was science-based and similarly provided for safety for consumers.

‘In light of community concern there is considerable benefit in adopting the tried-and-true method for assessing imports which applies to each commodity. The policy which was previously announced remains in place. The assessment of the risks of such imports will now have a higher level of formality. I remain firmly committed to Australia having rigorous standards in food safety and a science-based biosecurity system. This decision will help deliver both.’

The award citation said that Maggie was Australian culinary leader whose passion for food had brought joy to many Australians. ‘Maggie’s focus is on using seasonal ingredients and educating people to make informed food choices,’ the citation said. ‘To this end she opened the famed Pheasant Farm Restaurant in 1979. Maggie and her husband (Colin) ran it for just short of 15 years, winning a host of prestigious awards, before moving on to focus on producing gourmet foods. In 1996, Maggie opened an export kitchen for the production of preservative-free gourmet foods for the national and international market, and in 1999 she returned to the original site of the Pheasant Farm and, having come full circle, re-opened Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop. She has written seven books, with Maggie’s Harvest winning the Australian Publishers’ Association’s Illustrated Book of the Year. She also co-hosted the ABC cooking program, The Cook and the Chef, and works with Stephanie Alexander to promote The Kitchen Garden Foundation. Maggie Beer hopes that through sharing her love of food she will inspire Australians to reconnect with food and appreciate what we eat.’

Slow Food was the subject of one of Maggie’s The Cook and the Chef programmes – co-hosted with Simon Bryant – in 2009, in which she encouraged people to join the Slow Food organisation. ‘It’s about forming networks between farmers and consumers,’ Maggie said during the programme, which was broadcast nationally, ‘learning about the land and its limitations, and preserving regional food practices. It has thousands of members in over one hundred countries, all linking the pleasure of food with a real commitment to the community and to the environment. Slow Food is very close to my heart, and I really encourage anyone who can to get involved.’

Slow Food and all Australian members congratulate Maggie Beer as the senior Australian of the Year 2010. Maggie, her husband Colin and daughter Saskia are members of Slow Food Adelaide & Barossa convivium.

The Australian Local Hero 2010 is Sydney’s Ronnie Kahn, the founder of OzHarvest, a service that collects and delivers surplus food to charities. She has saved almost 4.7 million meals since OzHarvest began.

Her award citation says that Ronnie originally ran an events business and was horrified by the amount of left over food that was thrown out. ‘She began driving it to a hostel rather than let it go to waste,’ the citation said. ‘But she knew there was much more that could be done, and in 2004, OzHarvest was born. Five years later OzHarvest has over 600 food donors and delivers more than 110,000 meals each month to 163 charities in Sydney, Canberra and Wollongong. Ronni plans to go national next year. Due to the perseverance of Ronni and others, the law has been changed in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia (and soon will be in Western Australia) to ensure that food donors are safe from liability. OzHarvest has had a profound impact on the environment by saving thousands of tonnes of food from landfill, and on clients of charities who are able to eat quality, nutritious food.’

Slow Food in Australia also congratulates Ronnie Kahn as Australian Local Hero 2010.

More information

• Australian of the Year awards
• Maggie Beer – A Barossa food tradition
• Ozharvest

More information

• Facebook group – Say NO to Macca’s in the Barossa

‘What can we say, right now we all feel on top of the world – all Ashfield councillors voted unanimously against the McDonalds’ proposal at Haberfield!’ said ‘No Haberfield Maccas’ campaigner Ilona.

‘It was a real show of community spirit and people power – all 10 speakers got up (at the council meeting) and passionately explained to councillors why this development is wrong for this site. Maura started off with her ‘Italian blood boiling’, Mark did an amazing job explaining why our Haberfield history needs to be cherished and preserved, and all speakers touched on the numerous reasons why this development is completely ridiculous for this site and how it would dramatically decrease our quality of life if it were to go ahead.  We were so pleased to also have the Hon. Verity Firth MP, Member for Balmain, there to speak on our behalf.

‘Then to hear a number of councillors themselves respond to our passionate speeches was extremely rewarding.  They all referred to the watertight council officer’s report and just how thorough their refusals were tonight.  When the vote was cast unanimously against the proposal the lid lifted off the room with applause!

‘Channel 9 and Channel 10 had cameras there, so keep an eye out for any follow up reports. We look forward to seeing and reading the news in coming days so we can re-live the excitement of tonight.

‘Now, what’s next? Good question? Maccas chose not to speak in front of the community tonight – yet another snub from them and a missed opportunity to explain why the heck they think this is a good idea.  So, time will tell now.  As soon as we hear anything we will let you know.

‘So, we’ll speak again soon, you should all be proud of yourselves – every single person out there who signed a petition, wrote an objection, collected signatures, door-knocked, attended meetings, discussed and debated and had brilliant ideas… this journey and the success so far is all thanks to you all!’

‘Farmers undertaking standard farming practices in these areas are coming under increasing pressure to comply with the Environmental Protection Act,’ he told the newspaper. The Bill also applies to expanding regional townships and farming country on the edge of towns. Liberal agriculture spokesman Adrian Pederick supported the principles of the Bill.

‘Farmers deserve the right to sow their crops, work on it day or night, and harvest it in peace. This needs to be acknowledged and respected by their neighbours,’ he said. South Australian Agriculture Minister Paul Caica referred to the State Government’s draft 30-year-plan for greater Adelaide. ‘One of the features of the draft plan is the protection of up to 375,000 hectares of significant agricultural land,’ Caica said.

Read the full story

• Battle for the Barossa [The Weekend Australian Magazine 21-22 Nov 2009]

“And you’re still waiting,” he said. “I think our current regulators have failed consumers; they’ve failed growers because every time a so-called Made in Australia fruit juice is passed off as Australian juice when most of it is Brazilian concentrate, it is costing Australian farmers’ jobs. So the law has to change.”

Senator Xenophon, Nationals’ Senator Barnaby Joyce and Greens’ leader Senator Bob Brown introduced the Truth in Food Labelling Laws Bill into the Senate in August 2009.

National Foods fruit supply manager Richard Keightley, whose company owns Berri and Daily Juice, later dodged questions from delegates about the use of imported concentrate in those products – some of which were served at the conference – and whether or not the company supported Senator Xenophon’s Bill. Mr Keightley said the company observed all legal requirements and would observe any changes to labelling laws that might be made in the future. The use of imported concentrate had been forced by a shortage of valencia oranges being grown in Australia, he said.

Afterwards, Griffith grower Bart Brighenti said the shortage was a result of the low prices paid to growers by processors and juice companies and that National Foods had made a submission to the Senate, opposing the Truth in Food Labelling Laws Bill. Mr Brighenti said the production of citrus in Australia for the fresh and juice markets had plummeted almost 43 per cent since 1992-93.

Information

• Slow Food’s Australian raw milk cheese campaign