PCAS Pilot

Summary

The Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) developed the Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System (PCAS); an industry owned quality assurance program that provides assurances to customers regarding the production methods of cattle marketed under PCAS. MLA invested in the following projects relating to PCAS:
1. A pilot of the system to evaluate the Standards in the market prior to full implementation. Feedback from the pilot was received and as a result recommendations were made around the Standards, audit process, program administration, branding and strategy.
2. Operational support for the roll-out of the PCAS, including the development and delivery of program communications, stakeholder engagement, preparation of auditing materials, on-going maintenance of the program Standards and Rules, and maintenance of the PCAS registration system.
3. Early operational support for PCAS, including a manual, lower cost audit and registration process and communication of the value of the program to processors and producers.
4. Support for the transfer of all administrative functions of the PCAS to CCA. Included a review and update of auditing materials, the registration process and website prior to transfer. The project included a handover of PCAS communication and promotion activities to CCA staff.