BetterBeef forum brings the best to the west

The WA Lot Feeders Association has put together a stellar line-up of industry experts to present at the BetterBeef23 forum in March, combining with a first look at the brand-new Koojan Downs feeding facility at Yathroo. BetterBeef23 organisers are still in the planning stages of the two-day event to take place on March 30 and 31, with Harvest Road hosting at its Koojan Downs facility on the first day followed by the forum at The Vines Resort in Swan Valley on the second day. WALFA president Todd Fotheringhame said the exciting line-up of beef industry experts included Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Jason Strong and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry national co-ordinator of animal disease preparedness Chris Parker. Also taking part in discussions will be Northern Territory Livestock Exporters Association chief executive Tom Dawkins, Global AgriTrends director Simon Quilty, Episode3 director Matt Dalgleish and Young Livestock Exporters Network treasurer Chloe Grant plus others. Mr Strong, who has been the boss of Australia’s leading service provider to the red meat and livestock industry since 2019, said he would provide an update of the latest activities and investments that Meat and Livestock Australia was undertaking in marketing and research. “I will cover some exciting initiatives in research and development, climate sustainability, biosecurity, marketing and markets,” he said. Mr Strong’s career encompasses more than 30 years of whole-of-chain experience in both domestic and international markets, where he is recognised as a passionate and respected leader in red meat and livestock. He has served as director for many organisations including Integrity Systems Company, MLA Donor Company Limited, AUS-MEAT Limited and Red Meat Traceability Systems. Mr Parker, who has been at the forefront of the national response to the recent foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease risks, will provide an overview of the national response throughout 2022 and what can be expected in 2023. Mr Dalgleish will represent his independent agricultural consultancy with a look into how the beef industry may play out this year. He said 2023 might be a wait-and-see year on factors currently facing the beef industry. “The current wet cycle is likely to finish this year, there has never been an incidence of four La Nina years in a row,” he said. “This suggests that by the middle of the decade, parts of the country will experience drier than normal conditions — the big question will be how severe the drought will be?” Mr Dalgleish said the cattle herd was forecast to be about 28.9 million in 2024. “The higher livestock supply will mean increased annual slaughter rates and red meat production,” he said. “This would drive an increase in cattle turnoff should the season become more adverse, so liquidation could occur in the second half of the decade.” He said this would put pressure on processors given the lack of abattoir staff and specialist boners. Mr Dalgleish said the spread of disease in neighbouring countries was a real concern, with Australia exporting about two-thirds of its beef last year. He said with a 28 per cent chance of lumpy skin disease reaching Australia, this would have implications for live cattle exports as well as boxed beef. Mr Dalgleish, who previously traded in equities, metals and foreign exchange, has become a prominent agricultural market analyst since 2015, often quoted and sought after for his independent, data-driven assessment of commodity markets. Mr Quilty, who is an independent meat and livestock industry analyst and consultant based in Victoria, said there were many risks and opportunities in the Australian meat and livestock sector after an incredibly volatile past 12 months. “This has seen global meat prices in certain countries like Brazil fall 22 per cent, and livestock prices in Australia fall 30 per cent in particular regions during the foot-and-mouth disease scare,” he said. “Thankfully, these prices have recovered slightly, but the downward trend continues.” At first glance, Mr Quilty said there was more risk potential than opportunities. “Lumpy skin disease and foot-and-mouth disease can remove all market opportunities in one fell swoop, should they occur in Australia,” he said. Mr Quilty’s BetterBeef23 presentation will be via webinar as he will be travelling in Europe and North America on a Churchill Fellowship examining six case studies for greenhouse gas emissions on schemes that have been adopted and not adopted by farmers, looking at both good and bad. Mr Fotheringhame said after the challenging last year for WA’s lot feeding sector, the challenges presented some opportunities. “The focus of BetterBeef23 will be on where the opportunities lie, and how WA lot feeders can make the most of them,” he said. “BetterBeef23 is certain to bring the best of the best to the west — to give the WA sector the most relevant research, information and experiences that they can take home to improve their own feedlot business.”