Agribusiness

Crayfishermen will consider paying more in royalties to the state government as an alternative to Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly’s planned takeover of new licences, while concerns continue about the fragility of price premiums in the Chinese export market.

Opponents continue to blast government changes to lobster licensing arrangements as it emerges that, despite the state potentially pocketing nearly $70 million annually from the moves, a cost benefit analysis of the major policy shift unveiled in December was not undertaken.

Steven Lewis has been appointed chief executive at Southern Ports, effective January 14.

Western Australian grain growers have had one of their best ever years, with 16 million tonnes moving through cooperative handler CBH Group’s network, about 400,000 tonnes above August estimates.

Fremantle-based Ocean Grown Abalone has been granted a licence to develop 5,000 artificial reefs to harvest greenlip abalone at the company’s Flinders Bay lease, located in Augusta.

About 85 severely dehydrated cattle had to be put down and hundreds more were found already dead at a pastoral station in Western Australia's north.

Andrew Forrest’s agribusiness portfolio is set for a big expansion, with his Harvest Road Group planning a 60,000 head per year cattle development worth up to $50 million in the wheatbelt.

Austral Fisheries has gone blockchain as it seeks to provide customers with information about its products.

The state government has assured fishing industry representatives it has no plans to change how it determines catch limits across the sector after a surprise move last week to create, and take control of, new licences for local lobsters.

Exporters have agreed to place a three-month moratorium on sheep exports to the Middle East, months after TV footage revealed poor conditions on board a live export vessel departing Fremantle.

GrainCorp shares surged by more than a third after the drought-hit grain handler received an all-cash $2.38 billion takeover bid from little-known asset manager Long-Term Asset Partners.

Wellard shareholders have given the cattle exporter’s remuneration report a strike for the second time in three years at today’s annual meeting in Fremantle.

China's commerce ministry says it has launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of barley from Australia, its top supplier of the grain, amid strained diplomatic ties between Beijing and Canberra.

Shark Bay shellfish producer Mareterram is set to report a fall in earnings for 2018 due to a significant reduction in prawn catch compared with last year.

Seven of WA’s most prominent agribusinesses have grown their revenue by about 30 per cent, with increased demand from Asia the main driver.

The production ramp-up at iron ore miner Roy Hill Holdings has helped the company lift annual profit by 69 per cent, in turn boosting the annual earnings of its major shareholder, Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting.

The $145 million Quintis recapitalisation deal was completed today, handing control of the sandalwood company to its creditors, led by US group Blackrock.

Fremantle-based seafood wholesaler and jewellery manufacturer MG Kailis Group has achieved its second consecutive year of profits, after a decade of losses, despite a 14 per cent fall in revenue.

Melbourne-based Delta Group has been awarded two contracts in Western Australia, with a $4.2 million demolition job for the state government and work for CBH Group.

SPECIAL REPORT: The state’s agriculture sector has been ruffled by falling exports and revenues, coupled with growing animal welfare concerns and international competition.

SPECIAL REPORT: Gold Corporation, Alcoa, Roy Hill and Chevron have all posted higher revenue numbers in Business News’ annual analysis of WA’s biggest exporters.

A livestock export licence has been granted to a Perth subsidiary of Kuwait Livestock Transport and Trading, allowing the second shipment to the Middle East following the Emanuel sheep scandal.

WAMMCO has signed on Queensland-based ReNu Energy to build a 3.1-megawatt bioenergy and solar facility at the sheep meat producer’s Katanning abattoir.

ASX-listed Huon Aquaculture has been granted a license to operate an aquaculture farm off Geraldton, while Fremantle-based Ocean Grown Abalone has awarded a $2.7 million contract to build a processing facility in Augusta.

Bunbury-based CipherTel has won the latest round of state government grants to deliver high-speed broadband to areas not adequately covered by the National Broadband Network.

Victorian forestry company Midway has announced plans to invest up to $8 million in two Western Australian biomass companies.

Regional restaurants have received the top accolades in Western Australia, as the national Good Food Guide released its 2019 edition.

Sue and Mat Daubney’s Bannister Downs Dairy officially opened its $20 million-plus robotic milking operation and tourism centre at the weekend, with the pair cutting a special ribbon with major investor Gina Rinehart.

Western Australian wineries have continued their recent run of success, with Howard Park’s Janice McDonald crowned the Gourmet Traveller winemaker of the year and Frankland Estate's Judi Cullam claiming the Len Evans award last night.

People, not produce, provide the biggest challenge for Wills Domain and its owner, former 40under40 award winner Darren Haunold.

Ten cases of needle contaminations in strawberries are being investigated by WA Police, as the national crisis escalates.

A $100,000 reward is being offered by the state government for information that leads to the conviction of anyone involved in contaminating strawberries with sewing needles in Western Australia.