Farm-gate returns, MLA transparency in focus at Rocky senate hearing
In four hearings in four different states to date, cattle producers have uniformly expressed unerringly similar concerns to a Senate Inquiry into grassfed cattle industry structures. In Canberra,...
View ArticleSenate hearing pays tribute to Graeme Acton
Senators and industry representatives yesterday paused during a Senate Inquiry hearing in Rockhampton to pay tribute to leading Australian beef industry figure Graeme Acton, who died on May 9 a week...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MLA weekly news briefs Thursday 22 May 2014
US cattle on feed stocks lower China’s beef prices firm Australian consumer confidence falls further following budget NZ beef farm profits forecast 35pc higher Thursday daily cattle summary...
View ArticleClik here to view.
US imported 90 CL prices defy big Australian kills
Record and near-record beef kills in Australia in past weeks have not been reflected in pricing for 90CL grinding beef heading into the US, recent reports suggest. While some US traders have...
View ArticleLive exporters reject RSPCA claims on standards
Claims by RSPCA that a Government review has highlighted fundamental problems with live exports are wrong and ignore the fact that Australia is an active global leader in developing and improving...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Countdown underway to nation's largest beef event + VIDEO
BIGGER, bolder, brighter and well in-tune with modern industry challenges. These are some of the prospects in store for beef industry supply chain stakeholders making the decision in coming months...
View ArticleClik here to view.
OIE chief & Barnaby Joyce praise new Aus livestock app
The head of the World Organisation for Animal Health, Dr Bernard Vallat, and Australia's federal agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce have congratulated Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and LiveCorp...
View ArticleClik here to view.
AgForce 360 conference series to start in Roma in June
AgForce Queensland will hold the first in its new "360 Series" of regional conferences in Roma on June 24-25. Keynote speakers will address issues including consumer preference and beef industry...
View ArticleEx-CCA board member backs return to 'original MLA concept'
In the late 1990s North Queensland cattle producer Rod Barrett was a member of the Cattle Council of Australia board which voted in favour of an industry restructure plan developed by then Primary...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Human resources & recruitment: Six future trends in the workplace + SURVEY
Latest listings on our Jobs Central recruitment page: Chief Executive Officer (Harvey Beef, WA) Meat Inspector, Tamworth (Meat Inspectors Pty Ltd) Territory Manager, Animal Nutrition (Rimfire...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wagyu genetic test promises to reveal 'information critical to profitability'
A new genomics test being developed for the Australian Wagyu Association and set for release to Wagyu breeders next month will reveal new information critical to profitability, its backers say....
View ArticleTrans Pacific cattle councils call for total elimination of beef tariffs
The peak cattle industry representative bodies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States have issued a joint statement this morning calling for any Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mexico's World Cup beef ban over residue fears
Mexico’s national soccer squad will not eat beef during their preparations for next month's Brazil World Cup tournament for fear of testing positive to banned drugs in contaminated meat, coach...
View ArticleClik here to view.
SIAL trade show provides window into massive Chinese beef market opportunity
ANY lingering doubts that China might only be an opportunistic customer for Australian export beef were swept away during the annual SIAL trade fair held in Shanghai recently, where a large...
View ArticleAustralia's participation on Global Roundtable will continue: CCA
Australia’s red meat industry will effectively ‘go it alone’ in deciding how to communicate its sustainability credentials to the world, after a consensus position was reached between major industry...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Inland Aust responsible for massive spike in CO2 absorption in 2011
Australian dryland ecosystems from deserts to dry-shrublands play a more important role in the global carbon cycle than previously thought and were responsible for the huge spike in the amount of...
View ArticleNew taskforce to steer red meat industry's sustainability message
Combined red meat industry groups have released a joint statement this morning explaining the outcomes of a 'Square-table' meeting in Brisbane last Friday. The meeting, organised by the Nationals, was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
State of Origin? How about STEAK of Origin?
Wednesday night will see rivals New South Wales and Queensland go into full-on tribal mode for the first of three annual State of Origin Rugby League matches. While the annual contest is regarded as...
View ArticleAgForce backs Beef Taskforce
AgForce Queensland has thrown its support behind the creation of a taskforce to develop a work for the nation’s beef industry’s sustainability credentials. The taskforce is a key initiative to come...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Leasehold reforms sparking greater property interest in Qld
A rural property agent says changes to tenure arrangements announced by the Queensland Government last week are already having a positive impact on demand for leasehold cattle properties in the State....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Weekly kill: Records topple yet again
It might be only two head of cattle, but a record is a record. Last week’s Eastern States weekly kill calculated by the National Livestock Reporting Service set yet another all-time throughput...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Luke Bowen to head NT Govt's Northern Development office
Former Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association executive director Luke Bowen has been appointed to lead the NT Government’s new Northern Australia Development Office. “The Northern Australia...
View ArticleLinnegar to leave NFF
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has announced the resignation of Chief Executive Officer, Matt Linnegar. NFF President, Brent Finlay, said Mr Linnegar had made a significant contribution to the...
View ArticleChanges to Qld drought declared areas
Well-above average rainfall in the northern coastal areas of Queensland has seen drought declarations in Burke, Carpentaria and Doomadgee Shires revoked. However the Charters Towers Regional Council...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Early exit key to AA Co drought reduction strategy
Australian Agricultural Co followed the old adage of “Sell ‘em, don’t smell ‘em” in its drought management strategy activated during its recently-completed 2013-14 financial year, ended March 31....
View ArticleClik here to view.
AA Co showcases 'Darwin product' to the market
The Australian Agricultural Co has already started showcasing product representative of that likely to be produced out of its new Darwin beef abattoir when it starts operations in September....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Goodfellow departs Elders, in wake of Allison appointment
Senior Elders executive David Goodfellow has left the agency business, effective immediately, in the wake of the Mark Allison appointment late last month as the company’s new chief executive. Many...
View ArticleClik here to view.
ALEC begins search for new chairman
The Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) is searching for a new chairman following the decision by current chair Peter Kane not to seek a third term when the position becomes vacant in...
View ArticleIran market opens for Australian livestock exports
Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, has announced that for the first time in more than four decades Australian livestock exports to Iran are set to commence. “This is great news for our sheep,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is a $670/hr 'document processing fee' fair? ALEC hits out at Govt charges
It is the kind of statistic that livestock exporters say must be addressed if the Federal Government is serious about making good on its commitment to improve agricultural competitiveness. In the past...
View ArticleClik here to view.
$40m financial year loss for AA Co, as seasonal impact bites
THE Australian Agricultural Co just minutes ago announced a net loss after tax of $39.9 million for its financial year ended 31 March 2014, largely attributed to poor seasonal conditions. Managing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Farmers' beef with celebrity fitness trainer over 'ag gag laws'
An open letter written by the Australian Farm Institute to celebrity fitness trainer Michelle Bridges in response to her comments criticising so-called ‘ag-gag laws’ has attracted national media...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Weekly rainfall wrap, week ending 27 May 2014
The heaviest falls in the past week were recorded in southern parts of WA, SA, Vic and Tasmania, with totals of 50-150mm were measured. At the start of the week, a cold front crossed the southwest of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Drier than normal winter forecast for Southern Australia
A drier than normal winter is forecast for southern mainland Australia, while all areas of the continent are expected to experience a warmer than normal temperatures throughout winter, according to...
View ArticleRoma Store 27 May 2014: Light weight steers lift 7c
NLRS commentary on Roma Store Sale: Yarding 6000 Change -700 There was a slight decline in supply, with a good yarding of mostly local south west Queensland cattle and the occasional consignment...
View ArticleMLA quizzed by Senators over contestability of CCA funding
Why Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) entered into a $450,000, 12-month service agreement with Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) without a competitive tender was a key focus of inquiry at a Senate...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MLA market and news briefs May 29, 2014
Thursday daily cattle summary 29 May 2014 Yardings at Dalby fell by close to 10pc, to 3847 head yesterday, with a fair representation of most classes, bar a diminished supply of bullocks. The C2...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Large US grassfed beef users increasingly turning to Australia
ONE of the largest and fastest growing food service restaurant chains in the US is the latest North American customer lining up for grassfed/natural beef supply out of Australia. Chipotle Mexican...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Feed Grain Update: Rudderless market moves sideways
Grains markets continue to plod along with sideways movement at the moment, with no liquidity in the market and wheat, barley and sorghum all in need of some direction. Neither buyer nor seller has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beef Central profile: The adventures of Dick Slaney
Richard Slaney is one of those rare people who seems to have squeezed several lifetimes worth of experience into one. In the past 12 years Richard, best known as Dick, has become a leading figure in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Margin widens in Woolies' hold on retail beef share
Woolworths’ hold on retail beef market share in Australia has continued to widen in the latest retail survey conducted on industry’s behalf by Nielsen Homescan.* The nation’s largest retail...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Recruitment: How to look out for unproductive staff, before they spoil the bunch
Latest listings on our Jobs Central recruitment page: Livestock Manager, Young (BE Campbell) Operations Manager, Iranda Beef SA Chief Executive Officer (Harvey Beef, WA) Livestock...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Value-adding holds attraction to global processors
THE takeover battle emerging in the US for food processing giant, Hillshire Brands, is symptomatic of broader moves by global meat processors to invest in the value-adding end of the meat business....
View ArticleTrade access: Beef producers demand a high quality TPP deal
Beef producers from four Trans-Pacific Partnership member countries have again demanded that any TPP agreement be a high quality deal that eliminates all tariffs on beef. Members of the Five Nations...
View ArticleClik here to view.
May beef exports hit another all-time monthly record
AFTER a somewhat quieter shipment period in April following the impact of earlier rain on cattle supply, Australia’s beef exports during May have shot up again, reaching another all-time monthly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New tactics see Coal Seam Gas protests gain the upper hand
Community coal seam gas campaigns have had some big wins lately, most recently in the suspension of the drilling licence for CSG company Metgasco in New South Wales. Referred to the Independent...
View ArticleWellard MD appointed to Trade Advisory Council
Wellard Groups Holdings managing director Mauro Balzarini has been named by Federal Trade and Investment minister Andrew Robb as one of 20 members of Trade and Investment Policy Industry Advisory...
View ArticleCertification regime 'completely flawed': Air-based live exporters
More livestock exporters have joined the chorus of discontent over Federal Department of Agriculture moves to increase cost-recovery charges for mandatory export certification services. As reported by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Burdekin producers earn sustainability award
North Queensland beef producers Barry and Leanne O’Sullivan have taken out the Rural division at the Premier of Queensland’s Sustainability Awards for their leadership and innovation in the industry...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Processor calls on new Senate to stop playing games, and repeal carbon tax
ONE of Australia’s largest beef processors has called on the new Federal Senate to repeal the carbon tax for the sake of Australian manufacturing. Teys Australia, which employs 4500 staff across...
View Article