Annie Brown

1 week ago | abc.net.au | Annie Brown

Australian shiraz production has dropped to its lowest level since 2007, forcing winemakers to pull out vines. Moscato and prosecco are booming in popularity as young drinkers want sweeter, lighter, and lower-alcohol wines. The wine industry is seeing an overall drop in consumption, but they believe shiraz will make a comeback. An oversupply of shiraz grapes and young drinkers trending towards lighter whites are putting the number one grape variety grown in Australia in a "diabolical situation".

2 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Annie Brown

Australia's processing tomato industry is struggling against a volatile global market. The country's biggest tomato processor, Kagome, is selling tomato seed oil to the cosmetic industry to get alternative revenue. Kagome aims to be processing all of its tomato by-products by 2027. Canned tomatoes, tomato paste and pasta sauce are staples in kitchen pantries across the country. But the processed tomato industry in Australia is struggling to compete against cheaper imports.

2 weeks ago | msn.com | Annie Brown |Sally Hind

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3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Annie Brown |Callum Marshall |Emile Pavlich

Permits for two renewable energy projects in regional Victoria have been approved despite community opposition. Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny approved Mint Renewables' 400-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) at Dederang in the Kiewa Valley, east of Myrtleford. The controversial project received strong objections from hundreds of community members with concerns about risks to amenities, the environment, and bushfires.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Annie Brown

On a research farm in north-east Victoria, a trial is underway to prepare the country for an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). A series of neat piles of soil with thermometers stuck in the side are formed into composting windrows, containing 70 cattle carcasses buried beneath. The cows, which died from toxic weed poisoning, are being used in the trial to establish whether the infected carcasses can be safely decontaminated underground to create a compost by-product for commercial use.