GIWA’s five Commodity Councils are Wheat, Barley, Oilseeds, Oats and Pulses. Their purpose is to provide a forum for industry to collaborate pre-competitively to address problems and identify and pursue opportunities which benefit the entire grain supply chain.
Each Council typically has members representing growers, plant breeders, researchers, agronomists, input suppliers, bulk handlers, traders and marketing advisors, container packers, processors, key national industry organisations and state government.
Membership is entirely voluntary and is open to all GIWA members with one third of the positions on each Council being declared vacant each year to enable member turnover. A public call for nominations occurs in August each year and Council membership is ratified at the GIWA AGM in October.
Through its Commodity Councils, Board and staff GIWA delivers, or supports state and commonwealth government and national industry organisations to deliver the following services for all grains:
- Management of grain receival standards in WA
- Variety accreditation and rationalisation
- Trade and market access
- Trade and investment promotion
- Industry capacity building
- Industry engagement in support of research, development and extension
- Phytosanitary and biosecurity issues management
- Grain storage, protection and chemical residue issues management
GIWA Commodity Councils’ representation on national industry bodies
GIWA’s Commodity Councils have representation into all key national grain industry organisations, and frequently multiple GIWA Council members are represented on Boards, Councils or committees of organisations such as Grains Australia, Grain Trade Australia, Grain Producers Australia, Grain Growers Limited, Australian Oilseed Federation, Plant Breeders Australia and the Grain Industry Development Corporation. This facilitates sharing of information and collaboration on national priority issues while ensuring that the importance of WA as the nation’s largest grain exporting state is considered in all matters.
Additional responsibilities of each Commodity Council and current members can be found below.
Barley Council
In consultation with stakeholders across the Western Australian barley supply chain, the GIWA Barley Council is responsible for preparing the WA malting barley variety receival recommendations.
Oat Council
The GIWA Oat Council played a key role in establishing the Processed Oat Partnership (POP), an industry-led program supported by the WA State Government which has committed $10.12 million to the program.
Oilseeds Council
The GIWA Oilseeds Council has a strong focus on maintaining existing and opening new markets for canola seed, oil and meal, while safeguarding the industries long-term interests through promoting appropriate agronomic and bulk handling practices and industry stewardship programs.
Pulse Council
The GIWA Pulse Council’s current focus is on increasing the area planted to pulses in WA, recognising the critical role that grain legumes play in fixing biological nitrogen and as break crops.
Wheat Council
The GIWA Wheat Council plays a leading role in managing the relationship between the noodle wheat supply chain and the Japanese and Korean markets to ensure the long-term sustainability of the noodle wheat industry in Western Australia.