Australia: Western Australia's Grain Licensing Authority (WA GLA) has approved a further two special export licences for feed barley. GLA chairman Colin Mann said the two licences were approved for 90,000 tonnes of feed barley for export to the Middle East. However the GLA has rejected applications to export malting barley, and deferred a decision on proposals to export canola to the sub-continent and lupins to Europe, Ezigrain posted on September 9.

Mr Mann said he expected some criticism for the GLA having granted “some of the licences”. "I also expect some criticism for us having reduced the amount that we granted and also for those licences that have been declined,” he said. "So it depends where you stand on, if you like, free marketing or single desk marketing; it will depend on where you sit on that spectrum, as to which way you like or dislike these.” Mr Mann said the criteria prescribed in the Act and the Ministerial guidelines are used to assess the merits of each application for a special licence. "Applications for malting barley have been declined due to insufficient evidence being presented to determine whether the licence would affect the benefits of the single desk," he said.

To date, for 2004/05 270,000 tonnes in feed barley applications have been approved by the GLA.

10 September, 2004