MLA’s Objective Measurement (OM) sub-program support development and industry adoption of a range of technologies that measure or estimate key traits that describe livestock productivity and carcase value at appropriate points in the supply chain, for both live animals and carcases. These technologies improve grading accuracy, transparency and enable new value-based trading models that support the industry’s Red Meat 2030 goal to ‘double the value of Australian red meat sales as the trusted source of the highest quality protein’.
Additionally, live animal R&D activities aim to improve production efficiency, sustainability and welfare. Investing in both on- and off-farm technologies aligns with MLA’s role and strategy for impact across the value chain, with a strong connection to eating quality delivering consumer satisfaction unpinning red meat demand plus driving a data culture across the industry for decision making.
As well as technology development, the OM program includes other key enablers such calibration of measurements, development of digital data and measurement standards, developing new meat industry language criteria, supporting data integration into business systems, including supporting feedback and producer/seedstock extension programs, and decision support systems.
Successful delivery will support the red meat industry to transition to new business models, underpinned by key objective measurement technologies and related value-based trading.
The Objective Measurement program contributes towards the outcomes of the following strategic focus areas outlined in MLA’s Strategic Plan 2025:
The OM programs historical focus on off-farm technology development has shifted strongly towards adoption and supporting commercial implementation. In parallel there is an increased focus on initiating R&D to develop live animal OM technologies. Key activities include:
The OM program develops and supports technologies that contribute to the following value propositions:
The economic impact of the above value propositions were modelled on an ex-ante program level in 2020. The results indicated that the annual cattle and sheep net benefit achievable from the likely adoption of both carcase and live animal based objective measurements is $62.7 million in 2030 and $216.9 million in 2045, with the majority of benefits derived from cattle OM ($50.2 million in 2030 and $174.5 million in 2045). This is estimated to bring $1.3 billion net benefit value to the red meat industry over the period 2025 to 2045.
To assist drive the adoption of objective measurement carcase technologies, the MLA OM program sought co-investment proposals from businesses seeking to trial and adopt emerging objective carcase technologies. Applications from MSA registered supply chains were viewed favourably. It was acknowledged that some technologies had not achieved AUS-MEAT accreditation.
The MLA Objective Measurement program has historically had a significant focus on developing technologies for carcase measurement for two key reasons. The first being due to the scale benefits of implementing technology at a processing site. The second is that developing technologies to objectively measure carcases has been a simpler proposition as carcases are inherently more uniform and still than a live animal.
Developing and commercialising advanced measurement technologies and feedback systems into globally competitive Australian meat value chains (“ALMTech II”).
Accurate measurements of LMY and EQ enable the industry to be responsive to market demands, while minimising value-chain wastage. In the Australian beef industry, wastage costs an estimated $130million/year from producers supplying cattle not meeting customer requirements, with similar inefficiencies in the lamb and pork industries.
