Industry consultation
The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, in consultation with Australia’s Research and Development Corporations, has compiled a Best Practice Guide to Stakeholder Consultation. The Guide also outlines MLA’s approach to consultation.
Peak industry councils
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:
- CA – Cattle 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, SALRC, WALRC)
- Supply Chain Taskforce
- National Livestock Genetics Consortium
- BREEDPLAN Advisory Committee
- Beef and Sheep Genetics Technical Committee
- Sheep Genetics Advisory
- MSA Pathways
On marketing:
- Marketing and Market Access Taskforce
R&D consultation
MLA has a regional consultation framework which is involved in directing investment into grassfed cattle and sheepmeat research, development and adoption (RD&A) activities. See how you can be involved via your regional committee through the Research Advisory Council in your area - NABRC, SALRC, WALRC.
