Beefing up trade opportunities through $3.73 million online sustainability framework

Australia’s beef farmers will receive $3.73 million in government support to help them assess their sustainable land management practices against a new national online sustainability framework industry is developing.

 

Minister for Agriculture, Senator Bridget McKenzie, said the Meat and Livestock Australia-led project was well timed to equip graziers with the evidence that international markets were increasingly requiring to demonstrate their sustainable production credentials.

 

“This project will help our beef farmers—particularly broad-acre graziers—with the adoption of standards that potentially lucrative markets are demanding more and more,” Minister McKenzie said.

 

“When it comes to maximising Australia’s strengths as a red meat exporter, sustainable production is an increasingly valuable card to play—and as a government we should be doing everything we can to back our beef producers especially during drought.

 

“We see this project as a key opportunity for our $10.8 billion beef industry to showcase its sustainable production credentials to the world while encouraging producers to adopt improved sustainable land management practices.

 

“Validating against internationally recognised sustainability credentials such as drought resilience, soil conservation and vegetation retention are increasingly important.

 

“The reach of this project is potentially significant given the size of the area under beef production in Australia.

 

“It also has the potential to link with Australian and international initiatives around environmental and emissions reduction objectives.”

 

Meat and Livestock Australia has received a $3.73 million Australian Government grant to develop the national online sustainability framework under the $57.5 million Smart Farming Partnerships program

 

“This is another demonstration of the red meat sector’s leadership to continually innovate and work with government towards the realisation of a stronger more effective industry,” Minister McKenzie said.

 

“Our government is ready to help agriculture become a $100 billion industry by 2030 and we’ll do that in part through investing in innovative projects like this.”