THE potential being presented by new carcase measurement technology in abattoirs, how that plays into the concept of value based marketing and consumer’s meat quality expectations and how the flow of information and data needs to work to take full advantage of these new ways - these are hot topics in the red meat industry at the moment.
In the wash-up of Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and senate inquiries which shone the spotlight on transparency and market information flow along the beef supply chain, those at the helm of producer and processor groups and service providers are pouring much effort into nutting out how each cog fits into the equation.
What they are adamant about is that those at every step of the supply chain need to make the journey down new paths as one.
So with that in mind, an addition to the two-day program around Meat and Livestock Australia’s annual general meeting this year will bring together some expert speakers covering these topics.
The business breakfast will kick off day two of Red Meat 2017, which also includes a producer tour, advocates workshop and comprehensive forum and is to be held at Alice Springs.
The MLA AGM program has become a flagship event for the beef industry and is expected to attract producers and industry representatives from throughout the country.
The business breakfast will feature AuctionsPlus chief executive officer Anna Speer, Teys Australia’s Tom Maguire and ACCC agricultural commissioner Mick Keogh.
Ms Speer believes online marketplaces are reshaping traditional business models and are getting bigger, smarter, faster and more efficient.
She will discuss the new opportunities now emerging with online ecosystems providing sales channel choice, targeting the right buyers, aligning interests, delivering additional competition, more accountability, price discovery, provenance and brand development.
An online reputation is becoming a competitive advantage, according to Ms Speer.
As objective measurement and alignment across the entire supply chain allows the Australian livestock sector to better market their products, the biggest barrier will be change - not in the technology, rather the people, she argues.
Tom Maguire’s talk will focus on the importance of data based decisions to unlock consumer value.
Teys, which operates six beef processing plants and three cattle feedlots across Australia’s eastern seaboard, is leading the charge down the road of value based marketing.
Meat Standards Australia (MSA) willingness-to-pay data demonstrates that there is considerable value to be gained by ensuring that consumers have their meat quality expectations met, every time.
Mr Maguire says every dollar made along the beef supply chain comes from the people consuming meat and our collective job is to give them exactly what they want, every time.
The ACCC’s Mick Keogh will deliver a talk titled “Data and information critical for red meat competition, productivity and growth.”
The program brief on his talks says the Australian red meat sectors are now mature, with future growth dependent on productivity gains.
Digital technology and automation has the potential to deliver those gains for the post-farm sector, and will also open up significant opportunities for farm-level productivity growth. However, a key to unlocking this farm-level productivity growth will be providing farmers with ready access to objective information about livestock performance, and to relevant, timely and comprehensive market information on which farm decision-making can be based, Mr Keogh believes.
Old business models which rely on locking up critical information in silos along the supply chain will not optimise industry competitiveness and productivity growth, but will increase the risk of industry decline in the future, he argues.
The breakfast will include a question and answer panel discussion and will be hosted and moderated by MLA managing director Richard Norton.
It will be held on November 22 from 7.30 to 9.00am at the Alice Springs Convention Centre.
Producers wishing to secure a place at the MLA Business Breakfast should register through the Red Meat 2017 event page www.redmeat.mla.com.au.