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Charlie Peel is The Australian’s rural reporter, covering agriculture, politics and issues affecting life outside of Australia’s capital cities. He began his career in rural Queensland before joining The Australian in 2017. Since then, Charlie has covered court, crime, state and federal politics and general news. He has reported on cyclones, floods, bushfires, droughts, corporate trials, election campaigns and major sporting events.

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Charlie Peel

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exclusiveAgribusiness

CITRUS FARM: The Monduran Orchard.Photo: Mike Knott/NewsMail

New markets for fresh produce ease trade uncertainty

Amid a year of trade uncertainty and a war between supermarkets and farmers, Australia’s fruit and vegetable exports have hit a record.

Charlie Peel

waterAgribusiness

Murrumbidgee River. Picture: visitnsw.com

Farmers fear forced flood easements

Farmers along the Murrumbidgee River in NSW fear they will be forced to allow flood easements on their land.

Charlie Peel

exclusiveAgribusiness

Clockwise from left: ROAM Agricultural chief executive Derek Peterson; plate of fungi used for reducing methane in ruminants; and a herd of Angus on the move near Woodstock, NSW. Picture: Rachel Lenehan

Farmers’ new weapon in red meat climate fight

Australian scientists have found a natural feed additive that can slash livestock methane emissions by up to 90pc, offering an alternative to the future promoted by activists who cite climate change as a reason to reduce red meat consumption.

Charlie Peel

exclusiveAgribusiness

A boy runs past a pile of sawn timber at a plywood factory in Hefei, central China's Anhui province 05 August 2006. In the past decade, China's total consumption of wood products increased by 70 percent, and coupled with a booming global trade for various wood products is having a devastating impact on forests and poor forest communities globally, CHINA OUT AFP PHOTO

Call for origin labels on imported timber

About a quarter of timber tested in Australia last year had incorrect species or origin labels. The industry wants new laws to prevent it happening and to support Australian producers.

Charlie Peel

biosecurityAgribusiness

CANBERRA, Australia - NewsWire Photos - August 12, 2024: Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australia, Julie Collins during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Win for farmers as bill bites the dust

The Albanese government’s so-called ‘fresh food tax’ has been withdrawn from parliament.

Charlie Peel

woolAgribusiness

7/2/2025Peter Reid with his sheep on his property Kilamarup at Boyup Brook/ Kojonup.Pic Colin Murty

The final straw as sheep farming goes to the dogs

Wool producers have been finding it hard to make a buck. They say government policy on live sheep exports has forced them to consider their future.

Charlie Peel

agriculturePolitics

4/12/2023: Sheep farmer Stephen Tully on his property Bunginderry station west of Quilpie, QLD. Tully is talking about the impacts of the mandatory ear tagging rollout. pic: Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

Albanese warned over live sheep impact

Experts hired by the Albanese government recommended a 12-year phase out of live sheep exports. Instead, they will be axed in three years.

Charlie Peel

exclusivePolitics

4/02/2025: Bindawarra Merino Stud owner Steve Harrison with sheep at his stud in Giffard West, Victoria. Picture: Ben Fohdo

Off the sheep’s back: crisis of the wool industry

Australia’s sheep industry is facing a mass exodus, with wool production at its lowest in a century as farmers increasingly turn away from the shearing shed and to the slaughterhouse in the face of rising costs and low prices.

Charlie Peel

floodingNation

A handout photo taken on February 2, 2025 and released by the Queensland Fire Department on February 3, 2025 shows an aerial view of flood-affected areas around Townsville, Queensland. (Photo by Handout / Queensland Fire Department / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / QUEENSLANDS FIRE DEPARTMENT - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Insurers urge resilient rebuild and floodproofing

For the second time in six years, several Townsville suburbs face floodwater inundation. Insurers say something needs to change.

Charlie Peel

seafoodAgribusiness

SPEAKING UP: More than 86,000 consumers have signed petitions asking for mandatory Country of Origin Labelling for seafood sold in the foodservice industry.

Fishing industry fears broken pledge on seafood

The Albanese government’s promise to make hospitality venues indicate where there seafood came from has not been fulfilled.

Charlie Peel

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/charlie-peel