Growth Awards confirm farming future is in good hands

• Seven leading growers and advisors have taken out top honours in the 2015 Syngenta Growth Awards
• Seventy agribusiness leaders and industry representatives attended the Awards announcement
• Winners invited to join study tour of the United Kingdom and Europe next year

Leading growers and advisors have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to farming in Australia and New Zealand as part of the annual Syngenta Growth Awards.

The Growth Awards recognise individual achievements in agricultural productivity, sustainability, and commitment to community & people.

The seven winners, announced at a gala dinner in Sydney on Tuesday December 1, 2015, were selected from a group of 24 high-calibre finalists from across Australia and New Zealand.

Paul Luxton, Syngenta Territory Head – Australasia, said the winners reflected the best of the industry’s forward-thinking and innovative practice.

“These winners are drawn from across the spectrum of the industry, but what they have in common is a commitment not only to their own success but to the future of the whole sector,” Paul said.

“These are the growers and advisors who are demonstrating what it takes to maintain a sustainable industry; to promote strong communities; and contribute to global food security. Looking at our winners for 2015, we can be confident that our industry is in great shape and safe hands.

“Each of our winners has been selected for the difference they’re making in their community, and for their innovative farming practices that ensure they are at the forefront of productivity.”

The seven winners were selected from a pool of 24 finalists whose nominations were assessed by an expert judging panel including representatives from WWF – Australia, Rimfire Resources and Fairfax Agricultural Media. Matt Hood, a third-generation farmer in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley, and a winner of the Grower Productivity category in the 2014 Growth Awards, also sat on the judging panel.

The 2015 Syngenta Growth Awards winners are:

Productivity

• Grower Productivity Award: Bryan Hart, Pukekohe, New Zealand
• Advisor Productivity Award: Quenten Knight, Esperance, Western Australia

Sustainability

• Grower Sustainability Award: David Birkett, Leeston, New Zealand
• Advisor Sustainability Award: Greg Giblett, Quirindi, New South Wales

Community & People

• Grower Community & People Award: Paul Nicol, Childers, Queensland
• Advisor Community & People Award: David Heinjus, Clare, South Australia

Case IH Award

• Sheila Charlesworth, Mingenew, Western Australia

The Growth Awards support the goals of Syngenta’s Good Growth Plan, which tackles the challenges of producing more with less, protecting the viability of farmland and promoting prosperous rural communities. Under the plan, Syngenta has made a range of specific commitments designed to improve crop productivity, enhance biodiversity, empower smallholders, train farm workers and strive for fair labour conditions across the entire supply chain.

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Details of the winners can be found at www.growthawards.com.au. For more information or to interview one of the Growth Awards winners, please contact Kate White +61 418 254 296.

About The Good Growth Plan
The Good Growth Plan includes specific commitments to address critical challenges the world faces in feeding a growing population. By 2020, we commit to:

• Make crops more efficient: Increase the average productivity of the world's major crops by 20 per cent without using more land, water or inputs.
• Rescue more farmland: Improve the fertility of 10 million hectares of farmland on the brink of degradation.
• Help biodiversity flourish: Enhance biodiversity on 5 million hectares of farmland.
• Empower smallholders: Reach 20 million smallholders and enable them to increase productivity by 50 per cent.
• Help people stay safe: Train 20 million farm workers on labour safety, especially in developing countries.
• Look after every worker: Strive for fair labour conditions throughout our entire supply chain network.

You can find out more about The Good Growth Plan at www.goodgrowthplan.com.

Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 28,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. For more information about us please go to www.syngenta.com.au.