By BRIDGET COOK
CASEY council will be erecting signs around the municipality to promote the city as a food producing area.
At Tuesday night’s council meeting, councillors resolved to install four or five signs throughout Casey’s agriculture food belt with ‘Australian Grown in Casey’ on them.
The signs, which would cost about $4000, would be part of the Australian Made Australian Grown (AMAG) campaign to promote locally grown produce.
City of Casey mayor Amanda Stapledon, who raised the idea last year, said it was a way to highlight the great vegetable growers Casey had.
“The signs would help instil a sense of pride in our growers, as they produce such high quality products,” she said.
“It would also showcase the prime agricultural land in Casey.
“We could showcase where this great produce is coming from and encourage growers to remain in Casey’s wonderful agricultural food belt.”
Cr Stapledon said it was great they could localise the signs by putting the Australian Grown in Casey tagline.
“If it’s from Casey, you know you’re getting really good produce,” she said.
“This is a further way to promote our vegetable growers here in Casey.
“We should be proud of what we grow here in Casey.
“It also fits into our plans for economic development, by promoting and encouraging business in Casey.”
Peter Schreurs, from Peter Schreurs and Sons farm in Devon Meadows, said he supported the idea.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said.
“Anything that recognises an area where good fresh produce is produced is great.
“It will be good to have a logo that shows the area where a lot of good produce is growing, and that’s in Casey.
“I think we have a lot of advantages in Victoria, particularly in this area to produce a top class, fresh and healthy vegetable so we should be able to highlight where it’s grown.”
The council will also organise a forum with representatives of AMAG and local businesses to discuss the Australian Made/Grown in Casey brand, to be held before the end of July.
