Heidi Petith, Author at QCAR

QCAR Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella, Senator Nita Green, Kennedy MP Bob Katter and AgForce Queensland President Shane McCarthy after it was announced Category D Disaster Assistance grants would be made available for flood-affected North Queensland farmers. 12 March, 2025.

‘Tears of relief’ as PM answers desperate pleas of flood-affected NQ farmers

Queensland Cane Agriculture and Renewables (QCAR) is thankful Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has answered the desperate pleas of North Queenslanders by declaring the February floods a Category D emergency.

2025

An open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Dear Prime Minister, if you’re reading this, we desperately need you to declare the disastrous North Queensland floods a Category D emergency, to prove your government has the backs of Aussie farmers and the communities dependent on them.

QCAR Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella inspects the flood damage to Michael Waring’s sugarcane farm at Trebonne in the Ingham region. 22 February 2025. Picture: Heidi Petith

2025

Sugarcane farmers to be denied help to replant flood-ruined cane under crop loophole

QCAR is urging cane farming organisations to back its call to also cover first and second ratoon crops in the proposal for financial support towards replanting of destroyed cane.

QCAR Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella (centre) inspects flood damage in Ingham alongside Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto (left) and Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett

Media Releases

QCAR welcomes LNP’s announcement Qld farmers can use disaster funds to replant destroyed crops ‘for the first time’

Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett made the announcement after visiting with flood-affected growers in the Burdekin and Herbert regions where 'devastating' damage 'has to be seen to be believed'.

From left: Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton spoke with QCAR Herbert District Committee members Walter Giordani and Chris Butler, along with Committee Junior Vice Chairman John Board, and QCAR Chairman Christian Lago in Ingham, 15 February, 2025. Picture: QCAR

Media Releases

QCAR welcomes Dutton and Crisafulli’s visit to flood-ravaged Ingham as farmers push ahead with heartbreaking recovery efforts

QCAR Chair Christian Lago says he hopes the LNP can pressure the PM to ‘do the right thing by regional Queenslanders’ and declare Category D disaster assistance to unlock vital funds

The Herbert region could face up to $25 to $50 million in economic losses due to the flooding impacts on the sugarcane industry. Pictures: QCAR, Facebook

2025

Herbert sugarcane industry faces $25-50M in losses after flooding disaster

QCAR estimates there could be up to one million less tonnes of cane cut across the Herbert this year, resulting in between $25 to $50 million in economic losses.

QCAR Chief Strategy Officer Michael Kern, Senator Susan McDonald, AgForce North Queensland Director Michael Penna, and QCAR Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella met in Townsville, and were joined remotely by Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto in Ingham, to discuss the declaration of a Category D emergency to unlock funding for flood-affected farmers.

2025

QCAR, AgForce push Premier, MPs for financial disaster support for farmers

QCAR met with Senator Susan McDonald and Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto in Townsville and was joined remotely by Premier David Crisafulli in Ingham, to push for the state and federal governments to declare a Category D emergency and unlock funding for flood-affected farmers.

QCAR Herbert District Committee Chairman and sugarcane farmer, Matthew Pappin, has recorded more than 1000mm of rain since Friday morning, and is unable to get to many parts of his farm because of floodwaters. Picture: Contributed

2025

NQ farmers isolated as 1000mm+ rain falls in three days

Farmers are stuck in their homes with fears that fuel, medicines and food will soon run out as crocodiles are spotted in floodwaters

QCAR Herbert District Member and AgForce Cane Board Member Michael Penna, QCAR Board Member and Burdekin farmer Dean Sgroi, QCAR Board Chairman and Burdekin farmer Christian Lago, QCAR CEO Stephen Ryan, AgEtal owner and manager Ken Cunliffe, and QCAR Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella at AgEtal in Toowoomba.

2025

QCAR joins forces with AgForce, AgEtal to combat biggest threat to sugarcane yields

Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli are words sugarcane farmers worldwide would like to see eradicated; they are the scientific name for the bacterium responsible for ratoon stunting disease (RSD). Most sugarcane pathologists agree RSD is the most important disease affecting sugarcane (Rott et al.m 2022; Comstock, 2002; Davis & Bailey, 2000; Young …

2025

QCAR urges Singapore-based Wilmar CEO to personally fix Australian sugarcane milling woes, extremely low morale

QCAR’s Board has requested a meeting with Singapore-based Wilmar CEO Kuok Khoon Hong to address significant concerns as farmers call for legal action against the company. QCAR Chairman Christian Lago, in his letter to Mr Hong, said QCAR was compelled to express concerns over the “troubling state” and performance declines at …

[email protected]

(07) 4783 2111

142 Young St, Ayr Q 4807

‘Tears of relief’ as PM answers desperate pleas of flood-affected NQ farmers

An open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Sugarcane farmers to be denied help to replant flood-ruined cane under crop loophole

QCAR welcomes LNP’s announcement Qld farmers can use disaster funds to replant destroyed crops ‘for the first time’

QCAR welcomes Dutton and Crisafulli’s visit to flood-ravaged Ingham as farmers push ahead with heartbreaking recovery efforts

Herbert sugarcane industry faces $25-50M in losses after flooding disaster

QCAR, AgForce push Premier, MPs for financial disaster support for farmers

NQ farmers isolated as 1000mm+ rain falls in three days

QCAR joins forces with AgForce, AgEtal to combat biggest threat to sugarcane yields

QCAR urges Singapore-based Wilmar CEO to personally fix Australian sugarcane milling woes, extremely low morale

Subscribe to the QCAR & ACFA E-News weekly newsletter

Get in touch with the QCAR team

Herbert District
Manager Lawrence Di Bella

Burdekin District
Manager Angelo Licciardello

Central District
Manager Sonia Ball

[email protected]

(07) 4783 2111

142 Young St, Ayr Q 4807

‘Tears of relief’ as PM answers desperate pleas of flood-affected NQ farmers

An open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Sugarcane farmers to be denied help to replant flood-ruined cane under crop loophole

QCAR welcomes LNP’s announcement Qld farmers can use disaster funds to replant destroyed crops ‘for the first time’

QCAR welcomes Dutton and Crisafulli’s visit to flood-ravaged Ingham as farmers push ahead with heartbreaking recovery efforts

Herbert sugarcane industry faces $25-50M in losses after flooding disaster

QCAR, AgForce push Premier, MPs for financial disaster support for farmers

NQ farmers isolated as 1000mm+ rain falls in three days

QCAR joins forces with AgForce, AgEtal to combat biggest threat to sugarcane yields

QCAR urges Singapore-based Wilmar CEO to personally fix Australian sugarcane milling woes, extremely low morale

Subscribe to the QCAR & ACFA E-News weekly newsletter

Get in touch with the QCAR team

Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella

Burdekin District Manager Angelo Licciardello

Central District Manager Sonia Ball

Herbert District
Manager Lawrence Di Bella

Burdekin District
Manager Angelo Licciardello

Central District
Manager Sonia Ball