Cattle Producers Australia says it is now evident the proposal to reform red meat industry structure with an overarching single body will not have the support to move ahead.
CPA, the group set up to facilitate changes to grass-fed producer representation, says it has received assurances from Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie the recommendations put forward from last year's independent review of the industry's Memorandum of Understanding were not viewed by her government as "an implementation proposal".
The key recommendation from the review was for one new body, called Red Meat Australia, to be created to oversee all levy expenditure and be a single advocacy voice for the whole of the supply chain, replacing the current complex structure.
Red Meat Australia has also been rejected by the peak cattle producer group Cattle Council of Australia and by some big levy players, including Hancock Agriculture.
The main criticism is the single body structure does not adequately engage levy payers with respect to how research and development and marketing funds are utilised.
The Red Meat Advisory Council, which oversaw the review process, says the single body proposal was one of a suite of recommendations and the next phase of the process was industry leadership determining what moves forward.
CPA chair Dr Paul Wright said correspondence from the minister confirmed her government's commitment to "listening and working with everyone in the sector to make sure we get any new governance arrangements right."
"The minister also shares CPA's view that the input of, and the support from, levy payers would be a critical part of any new structure," Dr Wright said.
In recent installments on its website blog, CPA said there was an indisputable mood for reform of the current red meat industry organisational structure which was put into place more than 20 years ago.
"The issues and challenges the red meat industry now faces are significantly different to those it faced in the 1990s," CPA says.
"The very structure of Australia's red meat industry has changed as a consequence of globalisation, electronics, market and sector ownership consolidation and social licence and animal welfare issues."
However, the MoU review had not come up with the answer, Dr Wright told ACM.
"Apart from the sheep producers council, no section of the industry has shown support for these recommendations going ahead," he said.
RMAC chair Don Mackay said the review process was extensive, ran over many months and afforded the opportunity for all to to have their say, including CPA.
"We clearly want to bring the industry along with us, but leadership is not about appeasing all," he said.
"It's about making decisions, determining the best outcomes and pressing that case. It's about moving forward.
"There is still a lot of water to flow under the bridge but we are in the next phase. There are areas of broad agreement, areas of a little agreement and some of no agreement."
Senator McKenzie's office was contacted for comment.
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