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Industry consultation

The Peak Industry Councils for the cattle, sheep and goat industries are our industry representative organisations and play a critical role in providing direction and monitoring of industry marketing and research and development programs to MLA, to ensure they reflect the strategic framework of the red meat industry.

The Peak Industry Councils are:

  • CCA – Cattle Council of Australia
  • SPA – Sheep Producers Australia
  • ALFA – Australian Lot Feeders’ Association
  • GICA – Goat Industry Council of Australia

MLA consults on how your levy is invested

Decisions on levy investments, across all levy streams, are never made in isolation and MLA consults regularly with the peak industry councils on strategy, budget allocations and key performance indicators. The red meat industry provides MLA with advice on strategic direction for a wide range of programs including marketing, research and development.

Regular consultation is a priority for MLA. The red meat industry Memorandum of Understanding specifies MLA’s responsibility to develop a five-year business plan and an Annual Operating Plan in consultation with the peak industry councils.

Industry consultation arrangements

Livestock producers influence the investment of their levies through a number of industry consultation mechanisms and can do so through their State Farm Organisation or Peak Industry Council.

The Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC) is the peak body that represents the collective interests of the Australian red meat industry.

RMAC is responsible for the development of Red Meat 2030 (formerly known as the Meat Industry Strategic Plan, or MISP) which provides the overarching strategic framework that enables the direction, measuring and reporting of overall industry progress for government and industry stakeholders.

Levy payers were consulted by RMAC during the development of the 10-year Red Meat 2030. The peak industry councils subsequently develop sector specific (grassfed cattle, feedlot, sheepmeat, goats, live export) industry plans.

MLA’s five-year corporate planning is cascaded out of Red Meat 2030, industry strategic plans and Commonwealth national rural R&D priorities. MLA’s five-year strategic plan is translated into annual investment plans that define MLA’s marketing and research and development programs.

Examples of areas where consultation occurs include:
On planning and whole of red meat industry priority areas:

On research and development:

  • Research, development and adoption investment priorities
  • Regional consultation model (NABRC, SAMRC, WALRC)
  • Sheep and beef Forecasting Committees
  • Sheep Genetics Advisory
  • MSA Taskforce and Pathways
  • Resource Flock Steering Committee
  • Genetics Steering Committee

On marketing:

  • Region-specific global marketing and market access for beef and sheepmeat (Australia, Japan, Korea, North America, Middle East, Europe/Russia, Indonesia, China and South Asia)
  • Meat Standards Australia Taskforce

R&D consultation

MLA has implemented a new regional consultation framework for directing research, development and adoption (RD&A) investment for grassfed cattle and sheepmeat levies, see how you can be involved through the regional councils in your area - NABRC, SAMRC, WALRC, see how you can be involved.