Red meat reform to deliver single voice for businesses

THE Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC) has just released a White Paper which will revolutionise the sector and establish a powerful organising force for red meat in Australia.

A better red meat future: A white paper for the Red Meat Advisory Council was prepared by an Independent Taskforce and contains recommendations to deliver an influential and high performing red meat industry.

RMAC Independent Chair Don Mackay said the White Paper proposes a business centric Red Meat Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that reduces duplication and provides a single voice for Australia’s 82,500 red meat businesses.

“The White Paper recommends three new streamlined and unified industry bodies within the MOU: Red Meat Australia, a single research body and a single red meat integrity forum,” Mr Mackay said.

“Over many years, industry has been extremely frustrated by too many red meat industry organisations, the lack of accountability and return on investment back to business from levies; and an uncoordinated and fractured approach to dealing with the Federal Government.

“The White Paper recommends that Red Meat Australia be the single voice for Aussie red meat businesses, be the ultimate determinant of levy investment and deliver the public policy, social licence and domestic and international marketing roles.

“This business-centric approach would make the industry a powerful organising force in Canberra and to the millions of customers and voters who enjoy our product as well as reduce bureaucracy and duplication, be more cost-effective, and be backed by a real accountability framework back to business and government.”

Chair of the Taskforce and Lead Reviewer, Mr Jim Varghese AM, said the White Paper provides a unique opportunity to address industry-based funding and representational issues that have been long identified but unaddressed.

“Our consultation with industry and business clearly highlighted the need for reform to ensure a stronger capacity for the industry to manage and address current and future issues like climate change, animal activism, technological disruption and in vitro meats,” Mr Varghese said.

“Our review showed a strong appetite for change born from the achievements of the Meat Industry Strategic Plan (MISP) and the Red Meat Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the red meat business community.

“This White Paper provides recommendations for the red meat industry to drive social and economic prosperity for the industry specifically and the Australian community as an industry of national significance.

“It is the view of the Taskforce that the White Paper recommendations will position the industry for the future and make it more accountable to those who have real ‘skin in the game’ through industry levies and taxpayer funds,” Mr Varghese said.

Mr Mackay said now the White Paper has been delivered, RMAC’s focus was to get to work and report back to industry on ‘where to from here’ in progressing the recommendations by November 2019.

The full list of the White Paper recommendations can be viewed at rmac.com.au/mou.