10 Reasons to Support Tasmanian Farmers this Christmas

Tasmanian Irrigation is encouraging all Tasmanians to buy local this Christmas, supporting our hard-working farmers by ensuring their world-class food and beverages grace our festive tables.

With cheaper imported produce threatening local growers, buying Tasmanian grown, made and

hand-crafted goods will ensure our farmers and regional communities can continue to thrive.

Tasmanian Irrigation is today launching a special Buy Local this Christmas Campaign, highlighting 10

inspirational and innovative agricultural businesses from our operational irrigation schemes – all of

which grow produce that will go down a treat this Christmas and New Year holiday period.

“We are so fortunate to have some of the world’s best irrigation infrastructure, enabling our farmers

to finish crops and livestock with confidence – even in the driest of years,” Tasmanian Irrigation

Chief Executive Officer Mike Sylvester said.

“Our farmers are working so hard at this time of year and a great way to say thanks is to purchase

their products to enjoy with your family and friends, whether peas, beans and potatoes or ham, pork

and beef or wine, beer and cider.

“We have ideal soils, climate, technology and expertise – and of course irrigation water – to ensure

our food and beverages rank with the best in the world, so we are all in for a treat this Christmas.”

Tasmanian Irrigation invited families to have a discussion over the Christmas table about the origins

of their produce, including the farmers that are being featured in our Buy Local this Christmas

Campaign.

Mr Sylvester said Tasmanian Irrigation is proud to supply the highly reliable water needed to grow

the vegetables, meat, cheese, stone fruit, leafy greens, truffles, berries, grapes, hops and other

premium produce that will hopefully feature on your Christmas lunch and dinner menu.

“I am sure many children will be interested to know that their Christmas strawberries, raspberries

and blueberries may have been grown by Costas utilising water from three Tasmanian Irrigation

schemes,” he said.

“Or their chicken could have been produced by Nichols Poultry, which accesses water from the

Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme, and their peas and broccolini may be from James

Clutterbuck’s farm at Hagley, on the Greater Meander Irrigation Scheme.

“Their walnuts could have been grown by Coaldale Walnuts that relies on irrigation water from the

South East Irrigation Scheme, their cherries from Somercotes on the Midlands Irrigation Scheme and

their beef produced by the Hughes family at Circular Head, where their lush green pastures are

watered by the Duck Irrigation Scheme.

“Hopefully many Tasmanians can raise a glass of Pinot Gris or Pinot Noir, grown with love and care

by viticulturalists on the Swan Irrigation Scheme and on the South East Irrigation Schemes.”