MLA’s global markets strategy – building opportunities for the Australian red meat industry

With Australia exporting more than 70% of its red meat, MLA recognises the important role that overseas markets play in the viability of Australia’s red meat and livestock industry.

MLA's global markets strategy aims to maximise the opportunities for the Australian red meat industry by improving access to global markets and building demand for Australian red meat products.

To support this strategy MLA has a global footprint, with offices in eight of our key trading regions supporting a team of passionate representatives. This team has local knowledge and expertise to ensure the Australian industry has access to the key networks and the latest market insights.

The strategy has four key elements:

• Market knowledge: Ensuring the industry has a detailed understanding of global markets and the needs of customers and consumers. We monitor market conditions with respect to market economies and competitor activity to assess the viability of markets. We also conduct research to develop a detailed understanding of consumers to assist industry strategy and marketing campaigns.
• Market access: Defending and improving our access to international markets. This is done by communicating our superior safety and integrity systems, ensuring red meat industry is at the table for key trade negotiations and providing technical input into reducing technical trade barriers.
• Marketing and promotion: Building customer and consumer awareness of Australia's positive attributes through supporting strategic partners and delivery of promotional activities. MLA is able to connect commercial parties together to assist in building awareness of the positive attributes of Australian red meat to increase the confidence customers have in the product. We also conduct promotional activities to support our commercial partners to build demand and consumer awareness of these positive attributes.
• Livestock exports: Supporting the growth, productivity improvements and sustainability of the livestock export trade. MLA supports industry to implement systems to ensure best practice animal welfare techniques are adopted and that productivity improvements are being made to ensure sustainability of the trade.

MLA’s global markets strategy is developed through consultation with industry and uses our segmentation/portfolio matrix to define the markets we are focused on and the level of investment in each market. Read more about MLA's approach to segmenting market opportunities here.

More information

Michael Finucan
MLA General Manager, International Markets
mfinucan@mla.com.au