Australia
April 21, 2009
A new Wheat Variety Classification
Panel has been appointed to assess new wheat lines into specific
grades.
The Grains Research and
Development Corporation (GRDC) Managing Director Peter
Reading said the appointment of the Panel is another important
step in the implementation of the Wheat Industry Expert Group
(IEG) recommendations and in providing an important function for
Australian wheat farmers.
“IEG made a range of recommendations, including that GRDC should
manage wheat variety classification,” Mr Reading said.
“Wheat classification is the categorization of wheat varieties
into grades based on processing and end-product quality. The
classification process helps to deliver grain of consistent
physical quality, processing performance and end-product quality
to customers and end-users.
“The wheat classification process has two equally important, but
separate functions – the first is the determination of grades
based on market requirements and the second is the assessment of
wheat varieties into these grades,” he said.
“A Wheat Classification Council will be appointed to have
oversight of the process and responsibility for establishing the
specific grades and the newly appointed Wheat Variety
Classification Panel will perform the operational component of
wheat classification – the grading of varieties. This is the
technical and objective process for assessing a variety or
proposed variety against the given grade criteria.
“I’m pleased to announce that West Australian wheat grower,
Robert Sewell AM has been appointed chair of the Wheat
Classification Council (WCC) and that the members of the Wheat
Variety Classification Panel have also been selected.
The Wheat Variety Classification Panel includes: consultant, Bob
Cracknell; wheat industry specialist, Tremayne Watts;
biochemist, Dr Dai Suter; marketer and adviser, Tim Dewan; and
cereal chemist Philip Downie.
The Panel has the specific expertise and extensive experience
required for wheat quality evaluation, assessment of data and
the skills to categorise wheat lines into the current grades
used and accepted by industry, Mr Reading says.
Wheat Variety Classification Panel profiles:
Bob Cracknell - A
consultant with 43 years in the wheat industry, mainly in
senior management and technical roles with AWB limited,
formerly the Australian Wheat Board. Bob is a wheat quality
and end-use expert who played a major role in the
establishment and development of the Australian wheat
classification system. Formerly an independent member of
AWB’s National Pool Classification Panel he is also former
President and current member of the Governing Board of the
International Association for Cereal Science and Technology,
ICC. Most recent recipient of the Royal Australian Chemical
Institute Cereal Chemistry Division’s most prestigious
award, the F.B. Guthrie Medal.
Tremayne Watts - Fifteen years experience in the
wheat industry including storage and handling, flour
milling, breeding, marketing, quality testing and variety
assessment. Formerly responsible for AWBI’s Crop Shaping and
Variety Classification activities and is the previous chair
of AWBI's classification panel which operated for the past
five years.
Dr Dai Suter, BA(Hons) Chem., PhD biochemistry -
Currently Chief Scientist of George Weston Technologies, the
technical division of George Weston Foods(GWF). Dai has 30
years experience in the quality selection of wheats suitable
for the milling and baking operations of GWF. During that
period Dai has represented the Flour Millers Council of
Australia (FMCA) on the NSW Department of Agriculture's
Standing Advisory Council on Wheat and is currently the
Chair of the FMCA's National Wheat Committee. He represented
the FMCA as a member of the AWB Wheat Varietal
Classification Panel for five years.
Tim Dewan – is an experienced grain marketer and
wheat quality advisor. His 25 years of experience include
working at AWB in the wheat quality division and as
marketing manager for Asia. Most recently he works as a
consultant and broker in the grains industry, with specific
relationships in the Asian market..
Philip Downie - worked for the Victorian Department
of Agriculture as a cereal chemist and AWB as Senior
Technical Advisor responsible for technical market servicing
and wheat variety classification. More recently Philip has
consulted to several wheat breeding companies on wheat
quality issues. He has over 30 years in the cereal chemistry
side of the wheat industry, including the marketing and
promotion of grain testing and grain sampling equipment.
While GRDC has overall
responsibility for wheat classification arrangements, it
appointed BRI Research to administer the system in December 2008
after an extensive tender process. BRI Research will support the
classification panel, its secretarial functions and the
laboratory Proficiency Testing Scheme.
The GRDC is a statutory authority established to plan and
invest in R&D for the Australian grains industry. Its primary
objective is to support effective competition by Australian
grain growers in global grain markets, through enhanced
profitability and sustainability. |
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