Keen to capture greater value? Get involved

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has a bold ambition of supporting industry to embrace value-based-marketing initiatives and is seeking to engage with like-minded parties to explore and implement models that generate additional value, informed by targeted market signals.

MLA’s Innovation Capabilities Program Manager, Joshua Whelan, said the ambition will be delivered through MLA’s Value Capture program. This program focuses on providing tools, systems and feedback loops that allow livestock and carcases to be assessed and valued on traits such as genetics, performance, production credentials, meat quality and yield.

“Insights gathered through this initiative could reshape how livestock are valued and traded – aligning payment systems with market expectations and rewarding higher-value production,” he said.

“Ultimately, this will help producers breed, feed and finish livestock with the end market in mind.”

Are you who MLA is looking for?

To help action these value-based-marketing initiatives, Joshua said MLA is hoping to collaborate with individuals and/or syndicates in:

• the design and delivery of new research and development (R&D) projects
• supply chain engagement business models that facilitate collaboration
• co-investments and practice change related to increasing value captured.

“Producers, processors, brand owners, retailers and R&D providers are all invited to take part,” he said.  

“Whether this is through specific R&D investments, piloting new business models, supporting the adoption of new systems, providing producer education or the formation of an industry working group. MLA is interested in building opportunities with representatives of the wider red meat supply chain to boost productivity and profitability through value-based-marketing.”

Current MLA and industry investments in which collaborators can get involved, include:

• further improvement in describing carcase value through carcase/cut yield, animal health traits, secondary/by-co product utilisation and value-adding, and additional customer valued traits e.g. raising claims
• supporting industry towards value-based-marketing to better align customer demands and share value along the supply chain (examples could include sustainability, providence, animal welfare etc.)
• advanced systems to support segregation and efficiencies in supply chains
• live animal measures and information passing along the supply chain to improve decisions and the relationship to performance and carcase value
• developing and implementing sustainable initiatives to support producers make to tangible, permanent changes that align to future market requirements and incentives to meet them
• matching animal performance to on-farm/feedlot data and carcase outcomes to support future predictions and tools.

How you can get involved

For more information and to complete your expression of interest (EOI), please see the EOI Guidelines.

Applications must be lodged electronically to tenders@mla.com.au

Once lodged, MLA will consider and, where relevant, assist in bringing together interested parties to contribute to a collaborative or bespoke R&D project and/or industry working group to enable technologies, systems and programs that will capture significant value for the red meat sector.

Expression of interest must be received by 17:00 AEST on 22 September 2025. Late proposals will not be accepted.