Industry Corporate Public Affairs and Socio Political Risk Management

Summary

In late 2018, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) conducted a Review of socio-political risk assessment and management in its operations and in the red meat industry more broadly, including issues management and crisis management plans, capability, capacity, processes, and governance. The project seeks to respond to a number of key recommendations in the Review including: 1. MLA strengthen its approach to issues and crisis management by systematically monitoring peer-reviewed literature on animal welfare in the food supply chain, public policy discourse and developments, Australian parliamentary discourse, and formal statements by animal welfare NGOs and advocacy activists. 2. MLA strengthen its approach to issues and crisis management by systematically monitoring peer-reviewed literature on the environmental impact of food production, including red meat public policy, public policy discourse, Australian parliamentary discourse, and formal statements by environment-focused NGOs and advocacy activists 3. MLA strengthen its approach to issues and crisis management by systematically monitoring peer-reviewed literature on nutrition and food production, including red meat public policy, public policy discourse, Australian parliamentary discourse, and formal statements by environment-focused NGOs and advocacy activists 4. Work with PICs and RDC’s to establish an industry corporate public affairs unit that would manage agreed priority issues and develop infrastructure and capability for crisis preparedness and management. The proposed corporate affairs unit could be funded jointly by the PICS and red meat RDCs, and would develop and execute issues and crisis management strategy overseen by an industry steering group.