18 September 2015
18 September (Canberra) – CropLife Australia’s Pollinator Protection Initiative, which includes the world-first BeeConnected smart device app, has been awarded the Best Stewardship Programme Award at the 2015 International Agrow Awards held in London overnight.
“I am proud that CropLife Australia has been internationally recognised for global leadership in best-practice industry stewardship for our Pollinator Protector Initiative,” said Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia.
“Australia has one of the healthiest honey bee colonies in the world and this Initiative is an award‑winning example of what the Australian plant science and agriculture industry is doing to keep it this way.”
“The Pollinator Protection Initiative acknowledges the significant role pollinators play in Australian agriculture and the environment by providing resources for Australian farmers to ensure that crop protection products are used responsibly and in a manner that minimises risk to pollinators.”
“CropLife Australia, in partnership with the Australian Honey Bee Council, launched the world‑first communication smart‑phone and web tool BeeConnected on September 25 2014 as part of the Pollinator Protector Initiative. BeeConnected helps to improve communication and collaboration between farmers and beekeepers to reduce the risk of exposure of bees to any product that may have the potential to negatively impact their health.”
“In the year since its launch, we’ve seen significant uptake by users, positive reviews, support from farmer and grower associations from every state and it’s now being rolled out in countries in three continents in five different languages.”
“The other component of the award‑winning Pollinator Protection Initiative is the Seed Treatment Stewardship strategy. It provides contemporary best‑practice guidance developed by Australian industry experts for farmers on safe, responsible and sustainable handling and planting of treated seed.”
“CropLife Australia’s wholly owned subsidiary, Agsafe, was also selected as a finalist in the Best Stewardship Programme category for the drumMUSTER, ChemClear and Accreditation and Training programs. These initiatives and programs demonstrate the depth of CropLife Australia and our members’ commitment to safe and sustainable use of our products and world‑best whole-of-lifecycle product stewardship practices.”
“The Agrow Awards recognise individuals, companies and organisations from around the world who have shown exceptional standards in the crop protection and agrochemical industries and world‑leading innovation in industry stewardship. It’s great that these type of Australian initiatives are being recognised globally and obviously I’m very proud of the CropLife Australia team for The Pollinator Protection Initiative, which is part of CropLife Australia’s StewardshipFirst program,” concluded Mr Cossey.