Industry consultation
The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, in consultation with Australia’s Research and Development Corporations, has compiled a Best Practice Guide to Stakeholder Consultation. The Guide also outlines MLA’s approach to consultation.
MLA's taskforce model
MLA's taskforce model provides a key mechanism for engaging with both the representative organisations and broader industry stakeholders. It provides an efficient way of dealing with strategy and policy issues for Peak Industry Councils, provides expanded scope for strategic input and better connects stakeholder to MLA programs and projects. The Taskforces are aligned to the industry priorities outlined in Red Meat 2030.
Taskforces:
- Supply Chain Taskforce
- Marketing and Communications Taskforce
- Corporate Affairs Taskforce
Peak Industry Councils
The Peak Industry Councils for the cattle, sheep and goat industries are our industry representative organisations and play a critical role in providing direction and monitoring of industry marketing and research and development programs to MLA, to ensure they reflect the strategic framework of the red meat industry.
MLA's Peak Industry Councils are:
- CA – Cattle Australia
- SPA – Sheep Producers Australia
- ALFA – Australian Lot Feeders’ Association
- GICA – Goat Industry Council of Australia
MLA consults on how your levy is invested
Decisions on levy investments, across all levy streams, are never made in isolation and MLA consults regularly with the peak industry councils on strategy, budget allocations and key performance indicators. The red meat industry provides MLA with advice on strategic direction for a wide range of programs including marketing, research and development.
Regular consultation is a priority for MLA. The red meat industry Memorandum of Understanding specifies MLA’s responsibility to develop a five-year business plan and an Annual Investment Plan in consultation with the peak industry councils.
Industry consultation arrangements
Livestock producers influence the investment of their levies through a number of industry consultation mechanisms and can do so through their State Farm Organisation or Peak Industry Council.
The Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC) is the peak body that represents the collective interests of the Australian red meat industry.
RMAC is responsible for the development of Red Meat 2030 (formerly known as the Meat Industry Strategic Plan, or MISP) which provides the overarching strategic framework that enables the direction, measuring and reporting of overall industry progress for government and industry stakeholders.
Levy payers were consulted by RMAC during the development of the 10-year Red Meat 2030. The peak industry councils subsequently develop sector specific (grassfed cattle, feedlot, sheepmeat, goats, live export) industry plans.
MLA’s five-year corporate planning is cascaded out of Red Meat 2030, industry strategic plans and Commonwealth national rural R&D priorities. MLA’s five-year strategic plan is translated into annual investment plans that define MLA’s marketing and research and development programs.
Examples of areas where consultation occurs include:
On planning and whole of red meat industry priority areas:
On research and development:
- Research, development and adoption investment priorities
The Red Meat Panel - Charter of Operations describes the process and various committees involved in this area. - Regional consultation model (NABRC, SALRC, WALRC)
MLA’s regional consultation program works with producers and other industry stakeholders to maximise impact from MLA investments. The role of Reeserch Advisory Councils is to provide the relevant forums and opportunities for engaging these stakeholders. These committees do not have their own specific terms of reference that MLA sets, as they are their own organisations. - Supply Chain Taskforce
The Supply Chain Taskforce provides advice to MLA and ISC in relation to the strategic direction and technical operations of a wide range of programs including: Meat Standards Australia (MSA), Beef, Sheep & Goat Productivity, Animal Wellbeing, Nutrition, Sustainability and the red meat industry integrity system programs (including but not limited to, the Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program, National Livestock Identification System (NLIS), and Livestock Data Link (LDL), National Vendor Declarations (NVDs and eNVDs)). Terms of reference - National Livestock Genetics Consortium
The NLGC provide advice to MLA on key areas of investment for the advancement of livestock genomics and genetics. The NLGC supports MLA’s efforts in driving transformational change within the investment areas of genetics and genomics for the benefit of the livestock industry and whole of supply chain. Terms of reference - BREEDPLAN Advisory Committee
The BREEDPLAN Advisory Committee is the forum for industry representatives to provide program input and feedback on major decisions in relation to the BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation system, including providing recommendations on developments and modifications to the BREEDPLAN Analytical Software, along with the feasibility of implementation and viability of those suggested developments and modifications. Terms of reference - Beef and Sheep Genetics Technical Committee
The Technical Committee is advisory to the Sheep Genetics and BREEDPLAN Executive Committees, making recommendations on R&D priorities that will maximise the contribution that genetic improvement can make towards achieving the strategic objectives. - Sheep Genetics Advisory
The Sheep Genetics Advisory Committee is the forum for industry representatives to provide program oversight and feedback on major decisions to MLA in relation to the Sheep Genetics. This includes representing the views and requirements of Sheep Genetics clients, potential clients and the wider sheep industry, ensuring Sheep Genetics Operational plans meet the needs of industry and provide guidance and representation of industry receptiveness to implementation of new tools into Sheep Genetics. Terms of reference
- MSA Pathways
The scientific credibility and integrity of the MSA model is of paramount importance to the program. The primary role of MSA Pathways committees is to peer review the latest results from meat eating quality R&D and consumer testing, and recommend changes to the model which maintains that credibility and integrity. The committee also plays a central role in ensuring that research and development (R&D) is undertaken to optimise the opportunity for the beef and sheepmeat industry to base product description, grading, branding and marketing on consumer eating quality standards.
Terms of reference - beef
Terms of reference - sheepmeat
On marketing:
- Marketing and Communications Taskforce
The Marketing and Communications Taskforce (Taskforce) has been established by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) to provide advice to MLA in relation to the strategic direction and operations of a wide range of programs (Programs) including: Market reporting, market insights, demand drivers, red meat and livestock projections, domestic and international marketing, market access, sustainability frameworks and communications. Terms of reference - Corporate Affairs Taskforce
The Corporate Affairs Taskforce has been established by MLA to enable industry representatives to provide advice to MLA on industry policy positions on major strategic issues, risk mitigation, crisis management, effective stakeholder engagement and capacity building in policy development. A particular focus of the Taskforce is providing oversight of the Industry Corporate Affairs Unit.
R&D consultation
MLA has a regional consultation framework which is involved in directing investment into grassfed cattle and sheepmeat research, development and adoption (RD&A) activities. See how you can be involved via your regional committee through the Research Advisory Council in your area - NABRC, SALRC, WALRC.
