Amid reports that the Coalition will vote against the Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement as it stands, vegetable industry body AUSVEG is backing calls from Trade Minister Don Farrell for all sides of politics to support its passage. However, the National Farmers’ Federation is urging all political parties to "put farmers first" and vote agaisnt the deal.

International experts will gather at the University of Sydney this week to advance proposals for stronger global protections for the world’s soils. The Third Aroura Global Soil Security Summit will run from October 20 to 23, and bring together specialists in soil science, agriculture, law, economics and public policy.

Residents in South Australia’s Barossa Valley region were awoken by the rumble of a magnitude-2.8 earthquake in the early hours of Monday morning.

NSW Farmers and WoolProducers Australia are calling on the New South Wales Government to delay full mandatory electronic identification for sheep and goats until the national traceability system is ready.

The National Farmers’ Federation has welcomed new telecommunications legislation requiring outdoor mobile coverage for customers wherever they can see the sky, but says further reforms are needed to improve regional reliability.

Grain Producers SA is calling for answers on land protection, farming impacts and compensation after ElectraNet selected a preferred corridor for its Northern Transmission Project.

Western Australia has become the latest state to delay changes to workplace exposure limits for phosphine, with Grain Producers Australia welcoming the move amid concerns about the potential impact on grain fumigation, biosecurity and trade.

The Coalition is moving to ban further permanent Murray-Darling Basin water buybacks, while launching a taskforce to investigate new water storage and infrastructure projects.

Regional leaders in the Riverina and Murray districts are calling on the Federal Government to end further water buybacks, warning that reduced water availability is affecting jobs and economic confidence across Basin communities.