Producer Demonstration Site project call postponed for 2024

The annual Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) project call will be postponed for 2024. The PDS program successfully supports 65 current projects across 313 sites, valued at over $3.5 million, maximising its current capacity. Postponing the annual call will provide an opportunity for Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) to create efficiencies in administrative processes and review how the annual PDS priority setting could be further integrated into MLA’s bi-annual consultation with the Regional Advisory Committees (RACs).

MLA has funded the delivery of the PDS program for the past 20 years. The program is highly valued by red meat producers and facilitators for its hands-on demonstration of best management practices and new technology in local commercial properties. The postponement of the 2024 project call will allow MLA to consult with and gather feedback from key stakeholders to consider improvements for the future and continued growth of the program.

More than 700 core producers actively participate across the country, with a further 7,000 producers engaged in events and extension activities related to the PDS program. Since 2015, the program has contracted 131 projects, engaged more than 1,500 core producers and delivered a total net benefit to producers of $215 million.

In addition to the levy and co-contributor PDS projects and project call, MLA has increased the integration of PDS principles into RD&A projects, with over 15 active integrated RD&A PDS projects, to expand the successful methodology.

MLA will continue to promote the outcomes of these projects through our communications channels including the quarterly PDS Updates enewsletter, The Weekly enewsletter and case studies in Feedback magazine, as well as connecting stakeholders to current and completed projects via the PDS search tool.

To stay up to date with current PDS activities and the future of the program, sign up to the PDS Updates mailing list here.