MEDIA RELEASE

The Wellard-owned and operated MV Ocean Drover is continuing its journey to the Aqaba Gulf after a main engine malfunction was rectified by the vessel’s on-board engineers.

The vessel’s Master had stopped the vessel for 72 hours to give the engineers sufficient time to assess and rectify the problem and test the repair.

Importantly, the provision of feed, water and ventilation to the 42,000 sheep and 6,000 cattle on board the vessel were unaffected by the mechanical issues due to the redundancy provisions built into the ship to protect and enhance animal welfare.

The vessel continues to experience calm seas, low humidity and daytime temperatures of 27C, well below the 35-40C the livestock experienced in their paddocks before being transferred to the vessel.

Wellard notified both the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Department of Agriculture so they are aware of the mechanical issue and their rectification by the Company.

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For further information, please contact:

Cameron Morse

Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888

Mobile: +61 433 886 871

MEDIA RELEASE

Wellard has recorded its largest every grain harvest, returning nearly 55,000 tonnes of grain and oilseeds from its three Agri-Hubs.

Like most Western Australian farmers, Wellard’s crops benefited from well-timed spring rainfall, enabling the company to harvest a record crop in the 2013 growing season, just beating the previous record set in 2011.

Eleven predominantly CLAAS headers were used to strip the Wellard crop, which began with canola at The Grange on  25^th October 2013 and finished with  barley at Kojonup on January 9, 2014. Importantly, the harvest was achieved with little downtime from either weather or machine impacts.

Wellard Agri CEO Tim Macnamara said the bulk of the harvest was conducted in a compressed time period, which placed large pressure on staff, transport, delivery and machinery.

“The staff at Wellard Agri must be commended for the yields they achieved on each property and the efficient manner in which the crop was harvested and transported to the grains receival points,” Mr Macnamara said.

“This helped to maximise final yields and ensure all Wellard Agri resources were used to their optimum efficiency.”

At the Kojonup Agri Hub it was an all CLAAS harvest with three CLAAS Lexion combine harvesters (580R, 750 & 750 Terra Trac) supported by a CLAAS Axion 950 tractor towing a Trufab  Chaser bin in CLAAS green.

As with previous large harvests, Wellard Agri was able to maximise the synergies with its CLAA Harvest Centres to achieve quick harvesting time and maximise quality.

The company was also able to showcase the latest CLAAS Lexion 760 Terra Trac with Vario1200 front to local farmers during field demonstrations to 29 farm owners through the regions of Central West to Great Southern.

Mr Macnamara said the yields for lupins and barley were the most pleasing result from the just completed harvest, though, like many farmers, some crops were affected by frost at the Company’s Kojonup Agri Hub and continued areas to improve in coming years.

The recent addition of a further 3,500 acres to the Watheroo Agri Hub contributed to the harvest volume and efficiency of that Hub, which achieved a great result.

“We are very happy with these results and I would like to congratulate all staff at Wellard Agri. We will continue to invest in the Agri division with further diversification and efficiency improvements,” said Wellard Managing Director Mauro Balzarini.

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For further information, please contact:

Cameron Morse

Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888

Mobile: +61 433 886 871

MEDIA RELEASE

Wellard regrets that it has been advised that talented motocross rider Kurt Caselli has tragically died after crashing during the Baja 1000 racing event in Mexico.

Kurt was a member of the successful Wellard team at the International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) this year and showed immense talent as a motocross competitor.

“We are absolutely stricken by the news of losing Kurt. He was a wonderfully talented rider and quickly became part of the Wellard family, it is a sad day for everyone involved, but particularly Kurt’s family and friends,” said Wellard Chairman Mauro Balzarini.

“I would like to extend our deepest condolences on behalf of the entire Wellard team to Kurt’s family, who are in our thoughts during this tragic time.”

Kurt Caselli was a prominent name in the motocross world, having won the 2011, 2012 and 2013 American Motorcyclist Association National Hare and Hound Championships.

He was also named the 2007 AMA Sportsman of the Year and won several races, alongside his Wellard team members, at the association’s ISDE competitions.

In only his second career international event since June this year, Kurt was victorious in the Desafio Ruta 40 Rally in Argentina.

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For further information, please contact:
Cameron Morse
Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888
Mobile: +61 433 886 871

MEDIA RELEASE

Wellard Rural Exports rising talent Gemma Lomax was celebrated last night as she was awarded the 2013 Livestock Export Industry Young Achiever Award.

Gemma was honoured for her achievements and contribution to the live export industry and the broader agricultural sector as an outstanding and ongoing representative.

Gemma, an agriculture university graduate, joined Wellard in 2010 as a Coordinator for Wellard’s Queensland operations where she quickly became a vital member of the Wellard team. She went on to fills roles in livestock receivership, vessel loading management and undertook voyages as an on-board stockperson to South-East Asia.

“I am proud of my achievements and was honoured to be recognised at last night’s awards. I am truly humbled to join a long list of such ambitious and high-achieving young people from the livestock industry,” she said.

Gemma pays particular tribute to a three month period spent managing Wellard’s unique pilot cattle breeding program in the Philippines, believing it paid a significant part of her career development.

Wellard Rural Exports CEO Fred Troncone said Wellard was delighted to have played such an integral part of Gemma’s journey and has enjoyed working closely with her throughout her professional development.

“In an industry which is predominantly male-orientated, it is such a thrill to see Gemma recognised for her achievements. I have been fortunate enough to have worked closely with Gemma over the years and believe we have only just seen the beginning of what I am sure will be an illustrious career,” Mr Troncone said.

Wellard Rural Exports is the world’s biggest livestock exporter. Its livestock are transported on purpose-built, state of the art livestock carriers with superior feed, water and ventilation systems, and are cared for by experienced stockmen and stockwomen and a dedicated on-board crew.

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For further information, please contact:
Cameron Morse
Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888
Mobile: +61 433 886 871

MEDIA RELEASE

Wellard has been shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious 2013 Lloyd’s List Asia Awards, for excellence in the Training category.

The Lloyds List Asia Awards recognise the dedication to excellence in the maritime profession across numerous categories. The winners will be announced at a special event to be held in Singapore on November 26.

Wellard Ships owns and operates the most modern and technologically advanced livestock fleet in the world, which are operated and maintained by in-house trained officers, engineers and crew.

The absence of worldwide handling rules and regulation for the maritime transportation of sensitive live cargo motivated Wellard Ships to design and implement its own plan to improve the safety of its crew members and the well-being of its livestock cargo, through development of an onshore training facility in the Philippines, where the company sources most of its on-board crew.

The company also developed a Livestock Handling Training Manual in conjunction with a range of specialists from universities in Western Australia and Texas for use at the on-site training facility in Magalang (Pampanga, Philippines).

The Wellard crew of the future undertake theory and practice at the land-based facility, utilising the Wellard feedlot located next door to replicate on-board conditions and scenarios.

New crew members cannot go to sea on Wellard vessels unless they have completed the training course.

Wellard Chairman Mauro Balzarini praised Fleet Manager Philippe Lecloux for this achievement and said crew training complemented the new, technologically advanced ships in the Wellard fleet, a practice he hopes will be adopted by all livestock vessel operators.

“In an area where there is no standard training for crew members who handle such precious cargo as livestock, we are proud that we have become an industry leader, establishing a high benchmark in crew safety and animal welfare,” Mr Lecloux said.

Since the training programs commenced in December 2011, there has been an immediate and significant reduction in the in the amount of incidents related to cargo handling, demonstrating the capacity of trained crew members to manage risks related to animal welfare.

The land-based training is overseen by the veterans of livestock vessels, such as Bosun.

“Wellard is fortunate to have a team of dedicated people to manage its fleet, and focus on  teaching our next generation of crew members,” Mr Balzarini said.

Wellard Ships has a fleet of three vessels, the MV Ocean Drover, the MV Ocean Swagman and the MV Ocean Outback, each of which has been purpose built and designed to meet the needs of global livestock transportation.

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For further information, please contact:
Cameron Morse
Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888
Mobile: +61 433 886 871

MEDIA RELEASE

Wellard Rural Exports has appointed Top End cattle industry stalwart Bernie Brosnan to oversee the company’s South East Asian operations.

The former chief of the Northern Territory Livestock Exporters Association started his role as general manager South East Asia last week.

Wellard Rural Exports CEO Fred Troncone said Mr Brosnan’s previous experience in pastoral cattle production, stock agency, live export and cattle and beef marketing in Asia provided him, and therefore Wellard, with a unique understanding of the industry.

“Bernie will be a great asset to Wellard through the knowledge and contacts he possesses right throughout the cattle supply chain from northern pastoralists to South East Asian importers,” Mr Troncone said.

“Wellard has an active South East Asian shipping program at present, so Bernie has hit the ground running to ensure our export orders to Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are filled with good quality cattle.”

Mr Brosnan, who will be based in Darwin, assumes the South East Asian role from Scot Braithwaite, who has moved to the newly created position of Cattle Marketing Executive. In that role Scot will be responsible for the marketing of both dairy and beef cattle to new and existing clients in South East Asia and China.

“After a period of considerable uncertainty for the northern cattle industry there is a distinct feeling of optimism emerging in the live cattle trade with pastoralists, government, exporters and importers working together to maximise marketing opportunities,” Mr Troncone said.

For further information, please contact:

Cameron Morse

Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888

Mobile: +61 433 886 871

MEDIA RELEASE

Wellard/CLAAS/Yamaha rider Shelley Connor has won the Western Australian State Women’s Enduro title in her first year of the competition.

The university student from Kensington, clinched the series in a nail-biting finale decided by a double header round in the rugged terrain near Busselton, three hours south of Perth.

“An extremely technical special test on Saturday morning left me feeling pretty unsettled on the bike and the difficulty of it combined with the wet, slippy conditions got into my head a little. I knew mistakes would be easy to make and how vital it was to not make any considering how close the points were,” Connor said.

While the course was hampered by light rain in the morning, challenging the riders’ skillset as they battled through the wet conditions, the weather cleared later in the day as Connor showed her fierce competitiveness and managed to power her YZ250F to victory.

Wellard Chairman, Mauro Balzarini, said the company is inspired by Connor’s performance in what was a very competitive field for her first Enduro competition.

“Wellard prides itself on its philosophy of passion, commitment and the courage to innovate. We are so happy to be a part of such a special day for Shelley, she showed these qualities as she rode to victory,” Mr Balzarini said.

“Shelley is an outstanding rider and has shown that motorcycle riding is not just a male’s domain any longer, she has proven herself a fierce competitor and Wellard is proud to support her journey.”

Connor will again represent Wellard when she competes at the 2014 Australian Four Day Enduro in New South Wales, Australia.

Wellard Rural Exports is the world’s biggest livestock exporter. In the United States it exports and ships dairy and beef cattle to a number of emerging markets rebuilding their cattle herds. The cattle are transported on purpose-built, state of the art livestock carriers with superior feed, water and ventilation systems, and are cared for by experienced stockmen and stockwomen and a dedicated on-board crew.

For further information, please contact:

Cameron Morse

Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888

Mobile: +61 433 886 871

MEDIA RELEASE

Wellard, like many Australian exporters who have invested resources to make Australia’s Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme (ESCAS) work, is frustrated that the positive impact of ESCAS is being undermined by the recent events in Jordan during the current Eid Festival.

Although this has been portrayed as an industry issue, Wellard believes it is not industry wide and is limited to a certain supply chain.

Wellard’s experience with ESCAS is that it can work, but only when exporters and importers are committed to making it work.  Companies that are prepared to devote the time and resources can ensure the animal welfare outcomes required under the ESCAS program are achieved in target markets.

“For the 2013 Eid in Jordan, Wellard has seven people working on the ground for a week to assist the importer and its customers,” said Wellard Rural Exports CEO Fred Troncone.

“The Australian public, and indeed people in markets that import Australian livestock, have an expectation that animals will be treated humanely and the ongoing viability of our industry depends on our ability to demonstrate that we can deliver on these expectations.”

ESCAS has made a significant contribution to improving the handling and treatment of animals.

“The system was implemented to bring about cultural change, which requires sustained effort and takes time,” Mr Troncone said.

“The ESCAS system does not have to be abandoned, but rather improved as it is based on sound philosophy and assures the long term best interests of the industry. The fact that it presents some practical challenges or cost pressures is not good enough reason to scrap it.

“The progress made in advancing animal welfare in Australia’s markets over the past two years has been significant and these efforts should continue.

“The learnings from this year will be applied next year to make further improvements to the Eid/ESCAS system.”

Wellard staff and contractors currently working in Jordan are training international livestock handlers, using fit for purpose designed sheep trolleys to move sheep around and have fitted the abattoir with a new processing race and table to provide better animal welfare outcomes.

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Media note:

The following images were supplied by Wellard employees in Jordan. Digital copies are provided on request.

Image 1: Wellard has worked with its customer in Jordan to provide fit-for-purpose sheep trolleys to ensure animal welfare standards are maintained.

Image 2: A non-Wellard supplied sheep (still alive) purchased from a market outside the ESCAS system.

For further information please contact:

Mike Groves
Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888
Mobile: +61 427 065 551

MEDIA RELEASE

Wellard Rural Exports (Wellard) is proud to be sponsoring four teams currently competing in the International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) in Sardinia, Italy.

Described as the Olympics of offroad motorcycle racing, the ISDE attracts more than five hundred riders from thirty-two countries each year.

At the end of the second day of competition (1 of October), the Wellard team is placed third with four days still to go.

Team Wellard is made up of some of the most talented and competitive riders in the competition. Ryan Sipes, Jimmy Jarrett and Nicholas Fahringer, have all been training hard in the lead up to the event. Sipes, who is competing in his first ISDE, is performing remarkably well in the highly experienced field.

In addition, Wellard is sponsoring the USA Junior Trophy team who is currently in fourth place and the USA Woman’s Trophy team is currently third.

Wellard Chairman, Mauro Balzarini said Wellard is delighted to see their sponsored teams doing so well in the competition and is eager to watch the remaining four days of riding unfold.

“Wellard prides itself on its philosophy of passion, commitment and the courage to innovate. We have been on the edge of our seats watching the most exciting and important motorcycle Enduro race in the world come to life and are proud to see our riders doing so well,” Mr Balzarini said.

Wellard has been sponsoring the ISDE event since 2006 with great success. In last year’s event, held in the Saxony region in Germany, the Wellard-supported junior riders, who were all under 23 years of age, consistently turned in some of the fastest times for the event and were rewarded with third outright for their efforts.

Wellard Rural Exports is the world’s biggest livestock exporter. In the United States it exports and ships dairy and beef cattle to a number of emerging markets rebuilding their cattle herds. The cattle are transported on purpose-built, state of the art livestock carriers with superior feed, water and ventilation systems, and are cared for by experienced stockmen and stockwomen and a dedicated on-board crew.

ENDS 

Team Wellard getting ready to ride on Day One of the ISDE 

For further information please contact:

Cameron Morse

Phone: + 61 8 9485 8888
Mobile: +61 433 886 871