Welcome to the Australian Local Food System Policy Database. This is a collection of policies from New South Wales (NSW) and Victorian local governments that relate to healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.
For further information about using the database and how it was created see How to use the database. You can search the database by using the fields below. Domain refers to eight broad categories under which various topics are situated. The domains and topics are based on a framework of recommendations for local government action on creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system (also located on the ‘How to use the database’ page linked above).
To cite the database: Reeve B, Carrad A, Rose N, Charlton K & Aguirre-Bielschowsky I (2021) Australian Local Food System Policy Database. Available at: https://law-food-systems.sydney.edu.au/policy-database (access date).
Suggested search terms
Hold Ctrl to select multiple terms. Using ‘any words’ functions as an “OR” search. Using ‘all words’ functions as and “AND” search.
Search Criteria:
| Document title | Relevant text in the policy | Domain | Topic | State | Local Government name | Council type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Sectors with good potential in Loddon which have lower reliance on water resources, but require other infrastructure; such as serviced industrial land, access to major roads (capable of handling B-doubles and possibly even road-trains in the future) and power include: food and beverage processing (including stockfeed) distribution and logistics services renewable energies and biofuels. Proactive Council investment and innovation services to attract these industry sectors could encompass: developing investment guides for targeted industries assistance with feasibilities and/or business cases for significant individual investment opportunities negotiating alliance partners in the supply chain (suppliers, processors or logistics providers) provision of industrial land packages (such as flexibility on small or large lot configurations, support in connecting services to headworks, any potential rate relief, and the ability to stage land development) supporting significant businesses in their applications for relevant State and Commonwealth grant programs liaison with infrastructure providers on behalf of businesses liaison with regional organisations in garnering support for new business investments assisting to build regional collaborative structures which involve one or more Loddon businesses. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | There is strong support for broadacre farming industries in the Shire, which will always be a major fabric of the Loddon economy; grains, grain legumes and oilseeds, sheep, beef and some dairy. However, Council has neither the expertise nor resources to influence further development in this sector, other than helping to facilitate infrastructure and supporting ‘right to farm’ legislation and provisions. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | advocating for, and securing infrastructure to give investment security, especially water for agribusiness | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Strategy 1: Promote Loddon’s investment ready opportunities Loddon Shire has reliable power and communications networks, and the supply of quality water is rapidly improving. Water security is a major factor in the future sustainability of agriculture in Loddon, whether it is broadacre dryland agriculture, intensive stock production or irrigated horticulture. Drought proofing the Shire has only been a utopian vision in the past, but with major new stock and domestic pipeline infrastructure, technologies to improve the effective use of water, and enlightened farm practices (for land management, crop and stock selection and production inputs), there is renewed hope for much greater security. There may be other impacts from climate variability which will impact on agricultural viability, but improved water security is a major step towards a long-term future. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | The East Loddon Irrigation System was upgraded several years ago providing an additional 24,000 megalitres of irrigation water. The South West Loddon pipeline is nearing completion and will deliver stock and domestic water to households, farms and community facilities in Skinners Flat, Fiery Flat, Arnold, Bridgewater, Powlett, East Gowar, Wedderburn South and Kurting. Further, government funds have been allocated to a third pipeline system, the Mitiamo pipeline project, to build a stock and domestic supply network for 180 properties and 87 rural homes. The opportunity to promote these new water assets should be proactively pursued over the next five years. Promotional activity could encompass investment guides, supply chain development, and assistance with business cases in selected sectors: poultry: table eggs poultry: meat piggeries horticulture and viticulture lot feeding. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Strategy 5: Collaborate with regional economic and tourism development organisations to capitalise on broader opportunities Collaboration beyond local government area boundaries is sensible when opportunities have regional significance (e.g. water pipelines, tourism trails, intensive livestock, and the application of agricultural research and development). | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | strengthening the diverse agricultural base, notably in intensive livestock and a range of artisanal products | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | The opportunity to promote these new water assets should be proactively pursued over the next five years. Promotional activity could encompass investment guides, supply chain development, and assistance with business cases in selected sectors: poultry: table eggs poultry: meat piggeries horticulture and viticulture lot feeding. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | There is strong support for broadacre farming industries in the Shire, which will always be a major fabric of the Loddon economy; grains, grain legumes and oilseeds, sheep, beef and some dairy. However, Council has neither the expertise nor resources to influence further development in this sector, other than helping to facilitate infrastructure and supporting ‘right to farm’ legislation and provisions. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Facilitate emerging niche food and wine businesses into an integrated artisan food network with events and distribution arrangements into retail and food service markets. | Sustainability and Environment | Strengthen food chain connections/distribution | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Sectors with good potential in Loddon which have lower reliance on water resources, but require other infrastructure; such as serviced industrial land, access to major roads (capable of handling B-doubles and possibly even road-trains in the future) and power include: food and beverage processing (including stockfeed) distribution and logistics services renewable energies and biofuels. Proactive Council investment and innovation services to attract these industry sectors could encompass: developing investment guides for targeted industries assistance with feasibilities and/or business cases for significant individual investment opportunities negotiating alliance partners in the supply chain (suppliers, processors or logistics providers) provision of industrial land packages (such as flexibility on small or large lot configurations, support in connecting services to headworks, any potential rate relief, and the ability to stage land development) supporting significant businesses in their applications for relevant State and Commonwealth grant programs liaison with infrastructure providers on behalf of businesses liaison with regional organisations in garnering support for new business investments assisting to build regional collaborative structures which involve one or more Loddon businesses. | Sustainability and Environment | Strengthen food chain connections/distribution | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Strategy 10: Facilitate emerging niche food and beverages businesses into an integrated artisan food network Facilitating niche food and beverages businesses to work together as a network would include collaborating on events and distribution arrangements into retail and food service markets. | Sustainability and Environment | Strengthen food chain connections/distribution | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | The opportunity to promote these new water assets should be proactively pursued over the next five years. Promotional activity could encompass investment guides, supply chain development, and assistance with business cases in selected sectors: poultry: table eggs poultry: meat piggeries horticulture and viticulture lot feeding. | Sustainability and Environment | Strengthen food chain connections/distribution | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Sectors with good potential in Loddon which have lower reliance on water resources, but require other infrastructure; such as serviced industrial land, access to major roads (capable of handling B-doubles and possibly even road-trains in the future) and power include: food and beverage processing (including stockfeed) distribution and logistics services renewable energies and biofuels. Proactive Council investment and innovation services to attract these industry sectors could encompass: developing investment guides for targeted industries assistance with feasibilities and/or business cases for significant individual investment opportunities negotiating alliance partners in the supply chain (suppliers, processors or logistics providers) provision of industrial land packages (such as flexibility on small or large lot configurations, support in connecting services to headworks, any potential rate relief, and the ability to stage land development) supporting significant businesses in their applications for relevant State and Commonwealth grant programs liaison with infrastructure providers on behalf of businesses liaison with regional organisations in garnering support for new business investments assisting to build regional collaborative structures which involve one or more Loddon businesses. | Sustainability and Environment | Local, sustainable food processing | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Strategy 1: Promote Loddon’s investment ready opportunities Loddon Shire has reliable power and communications networks, and the supply of quality water is rapidly improving. Water security is a major factor in the future sustainability of agriculture in Loddon, whether it is broadacre dryland agriculture, intensive stock production or irrigated horticulture. Drought proofing the Shire has only been a utopian vision in the past, but with major new stock and domestic pipeline infrastructure, technologies to improve the effective use of water, and enlightened farm practices (for land management, crop and stock selection and production inputs), there is renewed hope for much greater security. There may be other impacts from climate variability which will impact on agricultural viability, but improved water security is a major step towards a long-term future. | Sustainability and Environment | Food supply and food system resilience | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Issue in 2013-17 Strategy Lack of water Action and results 18km of new potable water pipeline for the Golden Plains Food Production Precinct completed in June 2016. Funded by: Golden Plains Shire, Barwon Water, Federal Government and State Government. Limited water infrastructure in other areas is still an issue. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | Victoria | Golden Plains | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | The 2013 -2017 Economic Development Strategy identified barriers to intensive agricultural development and to some extent they continue to be issues for the agricultural industry in Golden Plains Shire. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Golden Plains | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | GOLDEN PLAINS FARMERS’ MARKET – BUSINESS INCUBATOR & TOURISM GATEWAY The Golden Plains Farmers’ Market supports regional economic development by creating a direct distribution pathway to consumers for local and surrounding producers and as such acts as a business incubator for new and developing enterprise. It is a central hub for retail, social and community activity and generates a sense of community pride. The market brings visitors to the area and supports the promotion of Golden Plains as a gourmet food and wine region and therefore encourages future tourism initiatives and business investment. It generates a sense of place and is a critical element in the delivery of Council’s largest community project (projected to cost $4.17M) the Bannockburn Civic Heart Precinct. | Sustainability and Environment | Strengthen food chain connections/distribution | Victoria | Golden Plains | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Participate in a regional joint skills development project which aims to improve the matching of labour requirements with available skills, including the improvement of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) courses and other accredited training. For Loddon, this impacts on jobs on farms, at processing plants and service businesses. | Economic Development | Food related job creation | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | There has been recent debate over the possibility of placing new international migrants in regional cities and towns to help in stemming the growth pains and infrastructure costs of expanding metropolitan areas. Loddon Shire has been able to demonstrate credentials in this strategy, as a ‘success story’ through the experience of Kia Ora piggery attracting Filipino migrants to Pyramid Hill. These residents now form over twenty per cent of the town’s population, providing skilled labour and active volunteers. Loddon towns could extend this experience by new targeting of migrant families to work in local industry sectors, particularly those where commuting to work from beyond the Shire is prevalent (such as intensive livestock production, horticulture, health services and education). | Economic Development | Food related job creation | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Actively participate in the implementation of the Bendigo Regional Tourism DMP regionwide experiential products: Food fossickers network development, winery tourism product development and marketing (both of these in complement to the Loddon artisanal food and beverage development activities), village touring and branding, and ride goldfields. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Facilitate emerging niche food and beverage businesses into an integrated artisan food network. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | In the northern part of Loddon Shire the tourism focus needs to be more concentrated on the environment, outdoor recreation and agritourism, and there are likely to be benefits in future alliances with neighbouring Shires to the north (in the Murray region) and to the west (in the Wimmera, where silo art and natural attractions are receiving investment boosts) and these alliances should be explored. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Investigate collaborative tourism marketing opportunities for the north of the Shire with the emerging Wimmera Southern Mallee tourism body and the Murray region, particularly in outdoor recreation, camping/caravanning accommodation and agritourism. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Loddon’s artisanal food and beverage producers do not have the critical mass to achieve a reputation and visitation comparable to Bellarine Peninsula or North-East region and nor to some of the neighbouring districts within the Bendigo hinterland (such as Heathcote and Mount Alexander), but it is growing steadily, the operators are passionate, and there is sufficient scale to warrant formal collaboration in events, market development, online sales, and distribution/logistics. This could, and should, include the ranging of local products at some ‘destination’ outlets in the Shire. Success in the City of Gastronomy bid to UNESCO could escalate these initiatives to a regional level, and could enable the potential for collaboration, joint marketing, and new food and beverage trails to extend across the region. This regional collaboration could be an extension of the current ‘food fossickers network’ brand, or a newly branded initiative. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Region-wide: o food fossickers network development | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Strategy 10: Facilitate emerging niche food and beverages businesses into an integrated artisan food network Facilitating niche food and beverages businesses to work together as a network would include collaborating on events and distribution arrangements into retail and food service markets. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Success in the City of Gastronomy bid to UNESCO could escalate these initiatives to a regional level, and could enable the potential for collaboration, joint marketing, and new food and beverage trails to extend across the region. This regional collaboration could be an extension of the current ‘food fossickers network’ brand, or a newly branded initiative | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | Among the many achievements in delivering on these strategies, the following are highlighted:  stemming and slightly reversing population decline through business diversification (in agricultural processing | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM STRATEGY | restructuring of the economic development and tourism functions during 2015-2019 has shifted the ways in which Loddon Shire is now addressing growth, diversification, infrastructure and investment. It has been a shift from direct responsibility and resourcing of an Economic Development and Tourism Unit (including a specific agribusiness focus) into a more modestly resourced multi-disciplinary team together with strategic alliances at the regional level. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Loddon | Regional |