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Robust plan to take Australian grass fed beef industry to new level

cattlecouncilA robust plan aimed at repositioning the nation’s beef industry for long-term profitability has been released by Cattle Council of Australia.

The Grassfed Beef Industry Strategic Plan 2020 is designed to refocus industry efforts and resources towards strengthening Australia’s beef industries competitive position.

The plan is a key responsibility for Cattle Council and identifies five investment areas, or “pillars”, expected to generate the largest industry benefits.

According to CCA, Australia’s grass fed industry faces both opportunities and challenges, giving the priorities and direction set in the plan a greater importance.

Howard Smith

Howard Smith, Cattle Council President & Beef Producer from Rolleston in Central Queensland

Cattle Council of Australia president Howard Smith said the strategy was objective, robust and represented the future goals of Australian cattle producers.

“The new strategy has been developed from consultation with grass fed levy payers and other key industry stakeholders across Australia,’’ Mr Smith said.

“It is backed by rigorous economic modelling and anaylsis, and represents the beef indusry’s response to the wider Meat Industry Strategic Plan.’’

Mr Smith said the plan outlined a vision to refocus industry efforts and resources to strengthen Australia’s competitive position as a trusted source of premium quality products.

The plan will help direct the efforts and resources of CCA, Meat & Livestock Australia, Animal Health Australia and the National Residue Service.

It will also require a fundamental shift in mindset and practices by industry businesses towards value chains – or, incorporating the needs of consumers from paddock to plate.

Mr Smith said the move towards value chain thinking outlined in the plan was the key to the industry’s future.

“It will help increase transparency along the value chain, bring greater opportunities for producers to gain premiums and foster the collaboration we know is needed to drive our industry forward,’’ he said.

Ten priority areas of activity have been identified for industry to pursue and ranked as being of top, high or medium importance.

The areas with the highest ranking are building industry capability, animal welfare, export market growth, and optimizing product quality and cost efficiency.

The plan reveals an expected benefit of $389 million to industry net income by 2020 in developing export markets alone.

High priority has been given to product and systems integrity, production efficiency on farms, and efficiency and value in trade and market access.

A key aim is to increase on-farm production efficiency by 0.5 per cent in northern Australia and 1.75 per cent in southern Australia by 2020 through new research.

With the success of the strategy dependent on strong leadership and collaboration across the value chain, Cattle Council has positioned itself to be on the front foot and lead by example.

“We are committed to play a leading role in this process,’’ Mr Smith said.

To access the Grassfed Beef Industry Strategic Plan 2020, visit http://e-doc.me/cattlecouncil1