Fresh Tasmanian Vegies Ready for Christmas
Buy Local Christmas Campaign 2025 – Tasmanian Irrigation

There’s no guarantees what will be wrapped under the Clutterbuck family’s Christmas tree this year, but there is a great deal of certainty about the ingredients on their festive dinner plates.

Fresh peas and broccolini from their 600-hectare Summerhill Farms agricultural operation are non-negotiable. Home-grown lamb is likely. All Tasmanian produced food and beverages is also certain.

“Tassie is clean, green and has a very reliable climate to produce some of the world’s best fresh produce, so there are no excuses to purchase anything but Tasmanian this festive season,” James Clutterbuck said. “It’s so important to support our farmers.

“We have the right latitude, good volcanic soils, a cool temperate climate and outstanding access to high surety irrigation water – the perfect ingredients to grow the best vegetables.”

James and his parents moved from the UK to Hagley in 2002. One of their key considerations in land selection was access to irrigation water. At that time the Greater Meander Irrigation Scheme was being discussed, a key point of difference from the minimal irrigation capacity on their England farm.

Now, James and his wife Sarah rely on 800 megalitres of Tasmanian Irrigation water each year from the Greater Meander Irrigation Scheme to grow poppies, peas, beans, potatoes, onions and broccolini under contract, as well as run 600 breeding ewes and fatten up to 5,000 lambs. They also run dairy heifers on agistment and grow grass seed, clover seed and wheat.

“We couldn’t do what we do without Tasmanian Irrigation water,” James said.

“We originally had 500 megalitres of water entitlements and then purchased a further 300 megalitres as part of the augmentation of the Greater Meander Irrigation Scheme.

“We installed another pivot to irrigate a further 40 hectares and can continue with our future expansion plans.

“This water is 100 per cent important to our business – from ripening peas and broccolini in time for Christmas, our beans in March and then our onions and potatoes later in the season.

“We are always on the look out for new crops and high-value opportunities, and this water surety gives us the confidence to push the inputs and know we can finish the crops.”

For more information about the Greater Meander Irrigation Scheme, please visit Greater Meander - Tasmanian Irrigation.