Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/103334
news&views All images used in Regional Business News are for illustrative purposes only Great danger for great reef Half of the corals in the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef have disappeared in the past 27 years, according to research published by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the University of Wollongong. The largest coral reef system in the world is in danger of being destroyed by a combination of coral bleaching and damage caused by storms and the crown-ofthorns starfish. Corals take 10 to 20 years to recover, but the storms, bleaching and arrival of the starfish happen too close together to leave the reef with time to recover. "We can't stop the storms but perhaps we can stop the starfish. If we can, the reef will have more opportunity to adapt to the challenges of rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification," says John Gunn, CEO of AIMS. A Butter Future Australian home food delivery business Aussie Farmers Direct is investing a total of $1.2 million in a new butter-manufacturing joint venture that will produce traditional and certified organic butter. Aussie Farmers Direct and Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia will create a new butter-processing facility as part of an upgrade to the existing Aussie Farmers Dairy in western Victoria, and will supply 100 per cent Australian-owned and locally produced butter. It will include raw materials handling equipment and butter-making machinery to produce some of Australia's highest quality butter. In its first year of production, due to commence in June 2013, the new facility is expecting to produce one to two million packs of butter. Robot trucks for BHP in Pilbara Mining giant BHP Billiton will pilot-test a fleet of 12 to 15 automated robot trucks at its Jimblebar mine in the Pilbara this year. This follows Rio Tinto's introduction of 10 robot trucks at its own sites. However, BHP is looking at going truckless for future operations. Marcus Randolph, a BHP executive, is quoted as saying the site can run more efficiently if the trucks are removed. The company would effectively lower operation costs and use less diesel. However, it's a long-term project and the installation of the robot trucks will come first. 51