Allison Clark - Chairman

Allison Clark - ChairmanAllison Clark is the Quality and Innovation Manager at Houston’s Farm.  Since 2003, the purpose of her role is to manage the Quality Assurance and Product Development Teams to ensure that the fresh-cut salad products produced by Houston’s Farm meet and exceed customer and consumer requirements.

Allison is a member of the Houston’s Farm Business Management Team and led the Environmental Sustainability Project which was successful in winning the inaugural 2007 Woolworths Fresh Food Grant.  Houston’s Farm chose to leverage award funds with Horticulture Australia Limited to develop a carbon (greenhouse gas) calculation tool which could be extended to the vegetable industry and act as a single validated method for determining an enterprise carbon (greenhouse gas) using product life cycle methodology.   Following a workshop of vegetable industry stakeholders in October 2008, industry chose to use the Houston’s Farm tool as the basis for the development of a carbon (greenhouse gas) footprint tool and Houston’s Farm remains closely aligned with this project as it develops.

In 2008, Allison completed an Executive Certificate in Food Business Management through Monash University.  In addition, she is the Board Chair of TQA Inc, a body which provides expertise to industry, agri-business, farmers, and regulators on quality assurance and environmental management systems.  She is the Chair of the Fresh Salad Producers Forum Technical Sub-Committee, was a member of the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research Board from 2003 to 2005, the Tasmanian State Training Authority from 1999 to 2002, the Tasmanian Rural Industry Training Board 2000/2001, and the State Planning Group of Farmbi$ from 2001 to 2004.   Allison was awarded the inaugural winner of the Australian Primary Super and TWIA Encouragement Award in 2006 in recognition of ongoing valuable contributions to agriculture.

Allison has participated in a number of projects of National significance, including:

• Project Leader – Environmental footprint analysis of salad producer for development of an industry greenhouse gas calculation tool – funded through Horticulture Australia Limited (2007/8).
• Project Team Member – Fresh Salad Producers Forum – Development of good agricultural practices for the Australian Fresh-cut Salad Industry.
• Project Team Member – Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries – National Food Safety Auditor Management Framework Feasibility Study – designed to develop strategic options for the advancement of a national food safety auditor management framework to underpin Australia’s food safety and quality systems.
• Project Team Member – Food Standards Australia New Zealand Project  – Identification of Food Safety Systems in Australian Primary Production Industries (2006).
• Project Leader on the AFFA Working Group on Food Safety and Quality Systems Equivalence project “Case studies as demonstration models for achieving equivalence”, (within Hazell Bros. Agriculture Group) which focused on multiple systems within a single enterprise and the synergies required to make a single audit/auditor scenario work.  At the time of the case study Hazell Brothers were maintaining six management systems.

Outside Houston’s Farm, Allison is married with two daughters.  She provides input into the consultancy she founded in 2002, encompassing quality assurance, environmental management, food safety, occupational health and safety covering agriculture, shipping, wholesale, and waste management.

Jane Melross - Deputy Chair

Jane Melross is principal consultant of The Write Solution – a Tasmanian owned business writing consultancy.  Jane has extensive experience in government and private industry, in fields requiring high-level strategic writing and communication skills.  She was in charge of the high profile, award-winning Workplace Safe campaign with the Tasmanian government for eleven years and prior to this worked in television production and the casino industry.  Jane has extensive experience in staff recruitment for government positions ­ as both a manager and consultant she has chaired or participated in many selection panels.  Jane has tertiary degrees in teaching and information studies and a graduate certificate in public sector management.

Jane Lovell - Managing Director

Initially qualified as a Plant Pathologist, Jane became involved with quality management systems in 1994 whilst working for Vecon Pty Ltd, an onion growing, packing and export company based in Devonport, Tasmania. Jane then worked throughout Australia as a private consultant in areas of quality management and food safety, assisting fruit and vegetable producers, market agents, trucking companies and supermarkets. She also has experience with dairy processing and other agricultural secondary industries.

Jane has managed Tasmanian Quality Assured Inc since its inception in 1997 and has been instrumental in advancing the understanding and implementation of appropriate food safety, quality and environmental assurance systems through primary industry.

Her achievements include:

• Organiser of five national food safety, quality and environmental assurance conferences. Conferences included a range of workshops, tours, seminars, training courses as well as formal conference proceedings.
• Member of Federal Minister’s Working Group on Safety and Quality System Equivalence.
• Member Senator Troeth’s EMS Steering Committee – overseeing and promoting uptake of EMS on farm.
• Member of Horticulture for Tomorrow Technical Steering Committee.
• Editor and co-author of the Guidelines for Environmental Assurance in Australian Horticulture.
• Co-author of the Guidelines for on farm food safety for fresh produce.

Jane was awarded the outstanding Individual or Organisation Working in a Non-industry Institution’ at the 2008 HACCP Conference Awards and this year won the Tasmanian RIRDC Rural Woman’s Award. She will also be participating in the Australian Rural Leadership Program commencing in May 2009 in the Kimberley.

Danny Jones - Board Member

Danny Jones is the managing director of Pure Foods Eggs Pty Ltd, Tasmania’s largest producer of table eggs, and has held that role for the previous 20 years. Pure Foods is a diverse organisation that operates state wide and employs around 50 people The scope of the business covers the brooding of day old chickens, pullet rearing, egg production, grading and packing, transport and distribution, administration and finally sales and marketing. He developed and maintains an extensive Quality Management System which covers food safety and quality, workplace health and safety, animal welfare and environmental assurance.

Additionally, Danny is a director of Days Eggs Pty Ltd, an egg production company which operates in South Australia.

Danny holds tertiary qualifications in accounting and administration and is a member of the National Institute of Accountants where he holds the status of Fellow Professional National Accountant.

In addition to membership of the TQA Inc Board (where he served a two year term as Chair), he is the vice president of the Tasmania Commercial Egg Producers’ Association.

Nick Steel – Board Member

Nick has been working for the past four years with the Tasmanian Farmers & Graziers Association and currently the Commodities Manager. This involves looking after all commodity groups including Cereal & Seeds, Dairy, Meat, Vegetable and Wool industries.

Nick is currently studying to finish a Graduate Certificate of Natural Environment Management at the University of Tasmania.

Previous tertiary qualifications include Diploma of Business (Banking & Finance) and an Advanced Diploma of Farm Management. Previous employment activities comprised of advertising, banking and finance, freight logistics and various farming jobs.