ENSURING Australian beef producers’ ongoing access to international markets is a key aim of $3.7m in government support for sustainable land management practices.
Agriculture minister Senator Bridget McKenzie said the Meat and Livestock Australia-led project sought to equip graziers with the evidence that international markets required 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,” Senator 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.”
Senator McKenzie said they saw this project as a key opportunity for the $10.8bn beef industry to showcase sustainable production credentials to the world while encouraging sustainable land management.
“Validating against internationally recognised sustainability credentials such as drought resilience, soil conservation and vegetation retention are increasingly important,” the minister said.
Meat and Livestock Australia has received a $3.7m Australian government grant to develop the national online sustainability framework under the $57.5m 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,” Senator McKenzie said.
“Our government is ready to help agriculture become a $100bn industry by 2030 and we’ll do that in part through investing in innovative projects like this.”
