New industry peak body to replace Cattle Council of Australia

Cattle producers are being asked to have their say on the direction of the beef industry’s new national peak body, Cattle Australia.

The new organisation, which will replace the Cattle Council of Australia, is set to officially launch on July 1.

Public consultation is now open, with producers and other stakeholders able to provide feedback until April 15 on what Cattle Australia’s key focus and work priorities should be.

A series of webinars has also been planned for producers to learn more about Cattle Australia’s purpose and development process, and provide additional feedback.

Independent chair of the restructure steering committee Andrew Macaulay said the consultation period was critical to ensure Cattle Australia realised its vision of representing the interests of all Australian cattle producers.

“Cattle Australia has been designed to provide cattle producers with a unified, visible, and influential voice and to advocate on important matters to the industry, lead and direct policy development and its implementation, and protect the profitability, competitiveness and future of the cattle industry,” he said.

“However, to achieve this we need to hear from producers on what areas of work Cattle Australia should focus on and where it should direct investment to support industry growth.

“I encourage cattle producers and other interested parties to share their thoughts so that Cattle Australia can effectively represent the interests of producers and strengthen the grass-fed sector and broader beef cattle industry.”

Cattle Australia is the result of collaboration between industry and government over the past year to ensure the industry meets current and future challenges.

It is also hoped the new organisation will strengthen the cattle industry’s contribution to the Federal Government’s goal for the agricultural sector to become a $100 billion industry by 2030.

Mr Macaulay said he was excited to see the Cattle Australia brand “come to life” through its new website, which would provide a channel for stakeholders to interact with the organisation.

“We are also looking forward to engaging with producers during our upcoming webinar series,” he said.

“These webinars will outline why Cattle Australia exists and how it came to be, and allow producers another avenue to share their views on what they think Cattle Australia’s key focus areas should be.”

Attendance is free, however, registration is required via the links below.

Webinars will be held on Monday, March 21; Wednesday, March 30; Monday, April 4; and Friday, April 8.