V.ISC.2408 - Digital Consignment Adoption Advisor Deliverable

Summary

ISC has been engaging with agribusinesses across the supply chain since March 2023 and has increased the awareness, interest and motivation to shift to digital consignments. This project built on previous work engaging with agribusinesses across the supply chain and focus on driving agribusinesses to put in place the systems, workflows, people capabilities, and technologies to implementation and shift to digital consignments and a new culture and new way of working.

Objectives

1.    Liaise with Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) and its state member chapters as required to drive awareness and motivation on the need to shift to digital consignments.
2.    Engage and support agribusinesses along the supply chain (processors, transporters, saleyards, agents, corporate agribusiness) to shift to digital consignments, as directed by ISC. 
3.    Develop and deliver training for audiences along the supply chain to build their capabilities to use the eNVD products and implement digital consignments, as directed by ISC.
4.    Keep ISC informed of pain points and opportunities to improve the eNVD platform and the way in which digital consignments are implemented.
5.    Deliver to ISC regular short reports outlining engagements, opportunities, findings (including what progress has been made by agribusinesses to shift to digital consignments) and learnings from industry engagement. This must include key barriers to adoption identified during the reporting period.
6.    Deliver to ISC a final report outlining industry engagement / activities, achievements, lessons learnt and recommendations. This should include an assessment of the current state-of-play and key barriers to adoption identified during the reporting period.
7.    Assist ISC with any other adoption support activities (as directed and required) in relation to eNVD and digital consignments.

Key findings

• Awareness and understanding of eNVD across the livestock supply chain has significantly improved since 2024. 
• While stakeholders recognize the benefits of eNVD, many struggle with integrating it into existing business processes.
• Resource limitations within businesses often prevent the implementation of eNVD from being actioned.
• Targeted engagement and support programs have successfully increased eNVD adoption among key supply chain participants, including transporters, feedlots, and processors.
• Co-funding initiatives act as effective incentives, helping businesses adopt eNVD by providing financial and implementation support.
• A successful implementation project within the transport sector has generated broader interest, driven by positive experiences and improved outcomes for customers.
• Once a transporter is ready to trial paperless consignments, other supply chain parties are more willing to participate, creating a ripple effect.
• Focusing on influential supply chain participants is key to broader industry adoption, as these groups have significant reach and impact.
• Hands-on training in small groups is more effective and engaging than large workshop-style sessions for learning the eNVD app.
  
  

Benefits to industry

Engaging the livestock transport sector alongside producers, feedlots, and processors enables full supply chain eNVD implementation. When all parties are eNVD-ready, usage increases across the supply chain through collective momentum.

MLA action

ISC have used findings from this project's work to inform and support continued investment in this area of work to continue supporting adoption of eNVD across industry.

Future research

Future efforts should focus on engaging influential leaders across transport, feedlotting, and processing sectors who operate within integrated supply chains. This approach has proven effective in driving eNVD adoption and should be expanded. Continued support from ISC, including dedicated contacts for implementation assistance, will be critical to success.