Meat & Livestock Australia to showcase paddock-to-plate in virtual reality at Sydney Royal Easter Show

Visitors to this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show will be immersed in Australia’s world-leading red meat production systems with the innovative Australian Good Meat Paddock-to-Plate virtual reality (VR) experience.

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) will showcase this VR experience in the Ag Discovery Pavilion Hall, taking showgoers on an immersive 360-degree tour of Australian beef and lamb production.

Group Manager of Community Communications and Events at MLA, Samantha Jamieson, said the Australian Good Meat VR immersion provided an in-depth insight into the day-to-day running of a beef or lamb farm.

“Using VR headsets, visitors to the Ag Discovery Pavilion will feel like they are on a farm while learning more about our world-leading production systems that stand behind our safe, nutritious, and delicious Aussie beef, lamb, and goatmeat,” Ms Jamieson said.

“Immersive and creative videos such as the paddock-to-plate story help to educate and engage everyday Australians by addressing their growing interest in sustainability, meat quality, traceability and animal welfare practices within our industry.

“These videos demonstrate the amazing work our Australian farmers do every day in animal welfare, sustainability, and much more.”

Alongside the VR paddock-to-plate experience, the MLA stand will also feature MLA Red Meat Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are men and women who work within Australia’s vast red meat and livestock industry, who will be talking with show visitors to answer questions about the industry and what it is like to work in it.

Ambassador Deb Gray, an Angus beef producer from Araluen in south-east New South Wales, will feature within MLA’s Primary Preview Day program on 21 March.

The Primary Preview Day is an exclusive day for over 500 Sydney-metro primary school students to learn about Australian agriculture, including red meat production, with an introduction into red meat farming, and looking after the animals and the farming environment.

“I am excited to show the students a small introduction to red meat production with a focus on farm life,” Ms Gray said.

“I’m most excited to show the children how carefully we look after the animals and how strongly we engrain environmentally sustainable practices in our day-to-day work.

“Teachers will also receive an Australian Good Meat Education pack promoting the range of Australian Good Meat Education school resources and all are encouraged to ask as many questions as possible.”

The Red Meat School Resources offer an invaluable asset for educators, enabling them to reintroduce the red meat industry into the classroom effectively. This initiative serves as a vital bridge between producers and urban consumers, enriching educational experiences for both.

As part of its sponsorship of the show, MLA will also air its ‘Many Voices’ video on the big screen in the main arena of the showground. Featuring red meat producers from all over the country, the video showcases the important care these producers show towards their animals and the environment in order to produce healthy high quality red meat.