Pressing Regulatory Issues and Disputes in Australian Agribusiness

Tailored for both agribusiness general counsel and those advising, you will examine the regulatory concerns in Agribusiness Ensure your best PPS position for both domestic and international transactions. Navigate regulatory compliance concerns to ensure your sustainability credentials are not at risk and understand the ACCC’s enforcement priorities and current prohibitionsGain expert guidance on strategies to deal with contract disputes in Agribusiness.

Monday, 24 March 2025
Description

Attend and earn 3 CPD units in Substantive Law 
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories

1.00pm to 1.45pm Contracts Disputes in the AgriBusiness Sector

 

  • AgriBusiness disputes in arbitration and the courts
  • Expert determinations
  • Key issues for AgriBusiness disputes and recent developments and cases 

Presented by Christiana McCudden, Special Counsel, Gilbert + Tobin; Recognised for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Best Lawyers 2025 

1.45pm to 2.30pm Finance in the Supply Chain: How can Stakeholders in the AgriBusiness Sector Improve their PPS Position with Financiers

 

  • Export and import of goods – navigating international PPS compliance
  • Common supply chain issues
  • Examining case decisions: Carpenter International and Willmott Forests 

Presented by Peter Mills, Principal Consultant, Keypoint Law

2.30pm to 2.45pm Break
2.45pm to 3.30pm How to be Confident in Promoting the Sustainability Credentials of your AgriBusiness

 

  • What regulatory and market drivers on food retail lead to pressure on AgriBusinesses upstream?
  • How has the ACCC’s greenwashing campaign impacted on AgriBusinesses?
  • Do regulatory guidance and industry best practices tell you where the finish line is in substantiating your claims?
  • How to mitigate legal risks in marketing your sustainability credentials?  

Presented by Charles Fisher, Principal Solicitor, KHQ Lawyers; Recommended lawyer, Competition & Trade, Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 

Chair:

Brian Healey, Partner, K&L Gates; Preeminent Agribusiness Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2024

3.30pm to 4.15pm ACCC: 2024 Year in Review

 

  • Merger reviews in agri space: Olam Agri Holding’s acquisition of Namoi Cotton and Graincorp’s acquisition of XF Australia
  • Implications of changes in merger laws for AgriBusinesses
  • Penalties and other remedies for breaches of Horticultural Code: ACCC action against Total Food Network
  • Upshot of ACCC’s Supermarket Inquiry and the implications for relationship between wholesale, including farmgate, and retail prices. 

Presented by Laura Hartley, Partner, Addisons; Best Lawyers in Australia 2025 for Commercial Law Best Lawyers in Australia

Presenters


Brian Healey, Partner, K&L Gates
Brian Healey is a partner in the firm's Real Estate practice. He has more than 20 years of experience dedicated to servicing clients in agribusiness and primary industries across Australia. Focusing on agricultural property, water rights and investment in agribusiness, he has advised on some of Australia's most prominent rural transactions in all Australian states in areas as diverse as cattle, cotton, dairy, wheat, horticulture, permanent row crops and vineyards amongst others. Clients benefit from his knowledge and timely services which, when coupled with practical industry knowledge, result in a commercial approach to closing transactions. He recognises that not all transactions are the same nor are the key drivers of the parties and that legal services and transaction support must be matched and delivered to his clients' needs. Brian is recognised as a Preeminent Agribusiness Lawyer and Leading Agribusiness Lawyer in Doyle's Guide 2016 to 2021 and was recognised by his peers as one of Australia’s leading Agriculture and Rural Affairs lawyers in the 2017 to 2022 editions of the Best Lawyers in Australia publication including recognition as Agribusiness Lawyer of the Year for Queensland in 2022.


Christiana McCudden, Special Counsel, Gilbert + Tobin
Christiana is a Partner in Gilbert + Tobin's Disputes and Investigation group in Melbourne. Christiana advises and represents clients in a variety of commercial and corporate disputes with extensive experience acting in large complex State and Federal Court proceedings, involving multiple parties. Christiana has acted for clients in respect of a broad range of issues and legal matters including breach of directors duties, contract disputes, warranty claims, negligence and tortious actions, unconscionable conduct and misrepresentation cases plus regulatory or statutory investigations/applications. Separately to her work in private practice, Christiana worked for a period as the Deputy CEO of the Hope Vale Aboriginal Council in the Cape York region of Queensland and was also part of the Victorian Law Reform Commission team during 2006 to 2007 which worked on the Civil Justice Review pursuant to terms of reference from the Victorian Government.


Peter Mills, Principal Consultant, Keypoint Law
Peter is a Principal Consultant with Keypoint Law, and regularly presents seminars to lawyers and industry bodies. Peter is a recognized expert in the Personal Property Securities Act (2009) and its interaction with other laws and registers, including insolvency under the Corporations Act (Cth). For the last 15 years Peter has focused his practice on personal property securities (PPS), creditor recoveries and insolvency. Peter advises controllers (voluntary administrators and liquidators), trade creditors, accountants, small and medium-sized enterprises, subsidiaries of local and overseas companies and other law firms. Peter is currently the vice president (Queensland division) of the Australian Institute of Credit Management (AICM), a member of Queensland Law Society's Banking and Financial Services Law Committee, a working group member of the United Kingdom Secured Transactions Law Reform Project and a member of the PPS Registrar's Users Forum. In 2010 Peter received an AICM national award for services in relation to PPS and in 2013 he received the inaugural AICM Marion Hintz award.


Charles Fisher, Principal Solicitor, KHQ Lawyers
Charles specialises in Australian food standards and regulations. Charles provides food regulatory and compliance advice to leading Australian and international food and beverage companies including food regulatory issues and product risk assessment and advice in relation to new product development projects and product marketing campaigns. In addition to his consulting work, Charles is a key a presenter of FoodLegal training programs and seminars. Charles holds a Bachelor of Law & Legal Practice as well as an Arts degree majoring in Spanish and Drama from Flinders University, and a post-graduate diploma in Film & Television from the University of Melbourne.


Laura Hartley, Partner, Addisons
Laura Hartley is an expert in corporate, commercial and competition law, with particular experience in the advertising and marketing in the consumer goods industry. Laura's clients include The a2 Milk Company, Bega Cheese, Coca-Cola Australia, Colgate-Palmolive, Electrolux, Mitsubishi Electric, Sanitarium Health Food Company and SC Johnson. Laura provides her clients with day-to-day clearance on their advertising campaigns from concept to execution as well as strategic advice on the advertising and marketing challenges they wish to launch against their competitors. Laura was the Company Secretary of the Australian Association of National Advertisers, Advertising Standards Bureau and Advertising Standards Council for almost 10 years and was instrumental in establishing the self-regulatory system in relation to advertising that now exists. She was Managing Partner of Addisons Lawyers from 2013 to 2017, has been a director of KU Children's Services since 2012 and became Chair of its board in 2017.

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Pressing Regulatory Issues and Disputes in Australian Agribusiness

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DELIVERY MODE BELOW

Single Session
Monday, 24 March 2025
1.00pm to 4.15pm Australia/Brisbane
CPD Points 3
$420.00
$294.00
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