Water, Land and People Annual Report 2007-2008
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Shepparton Irrigation Region Implementation Committee Water, Land and People Annual Report 2007-2008 1 For further information contact: Peter Howard Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority Shepparton Irrigation Region Implementation Committee C/o Department of Primary Industries 255 Ferguson Road Tatura Victoria 3616 Phone: (03) 5833 5343 Fax: (03) 5833 5299 Email: [email protected] Published by Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority PO BOX 1752 Shepparton Victoria 3632 ISSN: 1440 – 987X Find more information about the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority on the web at: www.gbcma.vic.gov.au Acknowledgment This project is funded as part of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority Regional Catchment Strategy in the Shepparton Irrigation Region and is provided with support and funding from the Australian Government and Victorian Government through the National Action Plan for salinity and water quality and the Natural Heritage Trust. This project is delivered primarily through partnerships between the Department of Primary Industries, Goulburn- Murray Water, Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, North Central Catchment Management Authority and other bodies. Disclaimer The information contained in this report is offered by the State of Victoria, solely to provide information. While the information contained in this report has been formulated with due care, the State of Victoria, its servants and agents accept no responsibility for any error, omission, loss or other consequence which may arise from any person relying on anything contained in this paper. Black swans and cygnets at Reedy Swamp - (Photo by Paul O’Connor, Department of Sustainability and Environment) 2 Contents OUR REGION - OUR PEOPLE ....................................................... 4 The Shepparton Irrigation Region ...............................................................................................4 Our people ......................................................................................................................................4 What do we do? ..............................................................................................................................4 Issues ...............................................................................................................................................5 Who pays? .......................................................................................................................................6 Our partners ...................................................................................................................................6 Our committee - community engagement ................................................................................8 CHAIR’S REPORT .......................................................................... 10 ACTIVITIES and ACHIEVEMENTS ............................................. 12 Executive Officer’s Report .........................................................................................................12 Environment and Biodiversity Programs ..................................................................................12 Farm Program ..............................................................................................................................19 Tackling Pests Program ...............................................................................................................25 Surface Water Management Program ......................................................................................25 Sub-surface Drainage Program...................................................................................................31 Waterways Program ....................................................................................................................36 Monitoring Program ...................................................................................................................38 Program Support ........................................................................................................................39 Research Program .......................................................................................................................41 APPENDICES .................................................................................. 49 Outputs achieved 2007-2008 .......................................................................................................49 Salinity targets achieved since 1989 ...........................................................................................50 Budget and final expenditure 2007-2008 ...................................................................................51 SIRCIS expenditure 2007-2008 ...................................................................................................51 Summary of Cost Share .............................................................................................................52 SIRCIS funds source 2007-2008 ..................................................................................................52 Catchment Education and Awareness Grants ..........................................................................53 Committees and Working Group Members 2007-2008 ...........................................................54 Publications and presentations ...................................................................................................57 Partnership Agency Staff 2007-2008 ..........................................................................................60 ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................... 62 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................ 63 3 OUR REGION - OUR PEOPLE Agricultural commodities Category Gross value ($M) Percentage of total The Shepparton Irrigation Region Milk 552.67 40.2 The Shepparton Irrigation Region covers over 500,000ha Fruit Table on pg 4299.12 21.7 and occupies approximately one third of the Goulburn Vegetables 63.47 4.6 Broken catchment, the eastern area of the North Central catchment and forms part of the Murray-Darling Basin. Cereals, pasture, legumes, oilseeds 226.85 16.5 The Shepparton Irrigation Region includes the and other crops municipalities of the City of Greater Shepparton, Moira Livestock 217.2 15.8 Shire and Campaspe Shire and the major rural centres slaughterings of Shepparton, Cobram, Echuca and Kyabram. The Wool and egg townships of Mooroopna, Numurkah, Tatura, Nathalia, 16.48 1.2 Stanhope, Murchison, Colbinabbin, Tongala, Strathmerton, production Katamatite, Undera, Girgarre, and Katandra also lie within Total 1,375.79 100 the Shepparton Irrigation Region boundary. Source: ABS, 71250DO031_200506: Small Area Data, Australia, 2005-06 (Reissue 6/6/2008) (Additional Datacubes) In 2007 agreement was reached between the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NC CMA) Our people and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GB CMA) for the Shepparton Irrigation The Shepparton Irrigation Region’s population is over Region Implementation Committee to administer 115,000 people and includes over 7000 rural properties, Natural Resource Management incentives in the districts with over 20% of those being of a multicultural surrounding Echuca, Rochester and Lockington. This has background. resulted in a consistent delivery of Natural Resource Management initiatives across neighbouring areas. Our region is home to the largest Indigenous Australian population outside metropolitan Melbourne. Cultural and The irrigated area of 317,000ha within the Shepparton linguistic diversity is a feature of the region where well Irrigation Region utilise approximately 1.5 million established communities, primarily as a result of Southern megalitres of water each year. The gross value of European post-war migration, co-exist with more recently agricultural production in 2005-2006 was $1.38 billion. arrived communities from countries such as Iraq, Iran and This accounts for 14.9% of Victoria’s gross value of India. agricultural production. The main primary industries are horticulture, dairying, cropping and grazing. What do we do? The Shepparton Irrigation Region is the centre for The Shepparton Irrigation Region Implementation major food processing industry that contributes 25% Committee is part of the corporate and business of Victoria’s export earnings. Companies include Kraft management structure of the Goulburn Broken Foods, Fonterra Australia, Snow Brand Australia, Cedenco Catchment Management Authority (GB CMA). The GB Australia, Simplot Australia, Nestlé Australia, Henry Jones CMA also is directly responsible for the management and Foods, Tatura Milk Industries, Unilever Australasia, Murray- implementation of the Biodiversity, Floodplain and River Goulburn Cooperative, SPC Ardmona (a division of Coca- Health and Water Quality programs in the Shepparton Cola Amitil), Campbells Soups Australia and Girgarre Irrigation Region. The Shepparton Irrigation Region Country Foods (a division of HJ Heinz Company). Implementation Committee has representatives on Coordinating Committees in each of these programs. The OUR REGION - PEOPLE Shepparton Irrigation Region Implementation Committee has the prime responsibility to deliver the program of natural resource objectives of the Shepparton Irrigation Region Catchment Implementation