01 March 2019

You may have heard the word ‘sustainability’ used in the news, general media or day-to-day conversation. As a red meat producer, you would be aware that retailers, restaurants and other customers are increasingly requesting information on the Australian beef industry’s sustainability credentials.

Here Friday Feedback talks to MLA’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lisa Sharp, about how industry plans to tackle this challenge and how producers can get involved.

14 February 2019

2018 was a year of records, with Australian sheepmeat export values reaching new highs and beef export values to Japan surpassing $2 billion for the first time since 2008. Here we look at all the key figures.

Cattle

25 January 2019

Following the launch of the Aussie Farms online interactive map earlier this week, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), in partnership with the red meat industry and National Farmers Federation (NFF), is providing information and advice to red meat producers.

This includes background information about the website, what actions they should consider taking now and what to do if they encounter trespassers on their property.

12 December 2018

Live cattle exports made up ground throughout 2018, underpinned by a reasonable 2017–18 northern wet season (followed by dry conditions over swathes of the rest of the country) and a more favourable price point supporting an uptick in shipments to Indonesia and Vietnam.

The emergence of China as an importer of slaughter cattle, three large shipments of feeder cattle to Russia and strong numbers shipped to Israel also buoyed the live cattle trade in 2018. For the calendar year-to-November, exports totalled 1,008,000 head, up 27% year-on-year.

Nominations are being accepted by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) for the 2019 Resource Flock joining. While the focus is Merinos, Poll Dorsets, Border Leicesters, White Suffolks and Dohnes, all breeds are encouraged to nominate. The selection criteria will be based on relationship to sires already in the Resource Flock, genetic diversity and index values. 

Breeders will not be reimbursed for the cost of semen or semen collection.

Please click here to complete the survey to nominate potential sires.

07 December 2018

While producer tours organised as part of Red Meat 2018 visited farms quite close together, attendees witnessed the diversity and different focuses in livestock enterprises.

21 November 2018

The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) has strengthened this week – on Tuesday the indicator was 526¢, an increase of 12.25¢/kg carcase weight (cwt) from last week. On the back of forecast rain, supply declined – particularly in NSW. Wagga Wagga, Forbes and Gunnedah yarded less than half the supply of EYCI eligible cattle than the previous week’s sales.

North vs South

19 October 2018

New research is underway to help boost lamb survival in Australian sheep flocks by better understanding the underlying causes of dystocia, or difficulty in lambing, one of the costliest conditions for sheep producers. 

The project is researching the impact duration of lambing has on ewes and lambs, to help better inform future control efforts such as treatments.

03 October 2018

US imported beef prices continued to decrease last week, driven by weaker prices for domestic grinding beef. Post (US) Labour Day holiday through until the end of the year, ground beef prices seasonally record some downwards pressure as the northern hemisphere winter impacts burger sales and retailers start to feature holiday items more extensively.

Ample supplies of cheap competing proteins and higher non-fed slaughter, up 5% on year-ago levels last week, will ensure the market remains well supplied in the short-term.

07 September 2018

Translating dietary recommendations into the reality of preparing healthy food for the dinner plate is the focus of a new campaign launched by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), aimed at Australia’s health care professionals and ultimately consumers.

‘So What's For Dinner?’ is a suite of resources designed for general practitioners and dietitians to use with their patients and clients to help them achieve variety, balance and enjoyment in their meals for good health and wellbeing.