Agribusiness buzz in brief

"The ACCC is concerned the proposed acquisition seems likely to increase the supermarket group's already substantial bargaining power in its dealings with food manufacturers," said Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims.

PFD operates a national network of 26 warehouses and a fleet of delivery vehicles providing food supplies to restaurants, cafes, fast food chains, hotels, clubs and institutions.

It buys a wide range of food products from manufacturers and processors, including dairy and frozen food businesses.

The competition regulator has asked for public responses on the planned takeover by February 1, with a view to making a final call on the proposal by April 22.

The ACCC voiced concerns the acquisition, flagged in August, would remove PFD as an important alternative customer in the food sector, reducing buyer activity and increasing Woolworths' bargaining strength as a customer of food manufacturers and suppliers.

"The dominance of Coles and Woolworths in food retail means that wholesale food distribution is an important alternative customer channel for manufacturers," Mr Sims said.

Peak producer body Australian Grape and Wine is angry about a social media campaign urging Australians to snub 41 Australian vineyards and wineries which have ownership ties to Chinese companies.

Boycotting companies because of their investors was harmful to the economy and particularly to rural and regional Australia said chief executive Tony Battaglene.

"I am outraged and disappointed this campaign targets Chinese-owned businesses," he said.

"The Australia-Chinese community is an important and valued part of our wine sector, making great wine, employing local people and generating money into the local and national economy."

The social media boycott call emerged in response to punitive import duties placed on Australian wine last month by the Chinese government as a preliminary determination in the anti-dumping investigation of all bottled wine imports into China.

Mr Battaglene said China's preliminary finding was disappointing, but anti- Chinese retaliation failed to recognise all grape producer, winemaking and export businesses contributed to regional investment and jobs.

"If Australians really want to support our industry, buy a case of Australian wine for your friends."

UniSA thermal energy researcher Professor Frank Bruno has been awarded almost $1 million by the federal government to find solutions to agricultural pollution in Australia and India.

Prof Bruno, the South Australian Energy Chair at UniSA's Future Industries Institute, will lead a collaborative project with India's biggest private university, LPU, to develop a renewable energy-driven food processing and drying system which alleviates pollution and landfill issues in both countries.

The three-year $977,585 project is being funded by the government-backed Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.

India has nine of the world's top 10 cities with air pollution issues, and big problems agricultural waste burnt by farmers in the field.

Prof Bruno's research focuses on developing clean high temperature, electrically charged thermal energy storages to provide heated air for drying.

Previous studies showed the system, driven by solar panels, could meet more than 80 per cent of energy requirements at half the cost of LPG, cut air pollution and reduce food manufacturers' costs.

GrainCorp has created a new executive position for an innovation and growth officer, appointing Jesse Scott to fill the role.

After 13 years with strategy group McKinsey and Company he will now lead GrainCorp's strategy team, developing key core business initiatives and implementing targeted growth and innovation projects..

He previously launched and led McKinsey's agricultural practice in Australia and New Zealand and has worked with GrainCorp to help create the company's new strategy, optimise its core business operations, and identify growth options.

"Jesse's extensive experience in strategy and transformation, coupled with his knowledge and capability in the agricultural sector were key to our decision to appoint him," said managing director, Robert Spurway.

Corporate Carbon Advisory's managing director and founder Matthew Warnken is stepping down from the role to focus on being managing director of AgriProve, a soil carbon solutions company spun out from Corporate Carbon in 2018 to promote regenerative agriculture.

Mr Warnken founded Corporate Carbon in 2010 taking it to the forefront of innovation in the Australian carbon market.

Corporate Carbon, now an advisory company on emissions reductions projects, was the first carbon project to win a carbon abatement contract under the Emissions Reduction Fund and first to register a soil carbon project which generated the first soil carbon credits.

Commodities and energy trading specialist Gary Wyatt, who joined the company in 2014, becomes managing director.

Mr Warnken said decarbonising agriculture was the next major challenge facing the global economy and climate.

Achieving this result would centre on regenerative agriculture and recarbonising soils.

AgriProve helps farmers generate income from carbon abatement activities which recarbonise soils, lift farm productivity and soil health and soil moisture capacity.

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