THE sustainable future of the live cattle trade and making the most of northern opportunities will be the focus of a major industry event in Townsville later this month.
AgForce Cattle president Bim Struss said the 'Managing Risk: Securing the Future - Live Export Forum' at the Rydges Hotel in Townsville on October 24 would feature a range of guest speakers and interactive sessions.
"Queensland exports more than 20 per cent of the live cattle that make up Australia's $1.35 billion industry to major destinations of Indonesia and Vietnam,” Mr Struss said.
“Cattle exports provide a key economic activity across northern Australia at a time when the development of this part of the nation is seen as important for our future economic growth.
"This forum is an opportunity for cattle producers, exporters, traders, commercial partners, and government to come together to discuss how the live export sector is positioned now and where it is headed in the future."
Keynote speaker is Hancock Agriculture chief executive officer and Kidman and Co’s acting CEO David Larkin, who will talk about opportunities to open new markets for northern Australia live exports.
"David has an outstanding beef industry background, winning numerous export awards, and he played a pivotal role in free trade agreement negotiations with China, Japan and Korea, providing recommendations on behalf of the beef industry on preferred policy positions," Mr Struss said.
"We are pleased to have the CEOs of the Australian Livestock Exporters Council and Livecorp, Simon Westaway and Sam Brown, talking about the vision and direction of the industry, while the CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia Jed Matz will also be a guest speaker at the forum.”
Other topics include new biosecurity and animal welfare requirements for the Livestock Production Assurance program, lay pregnancy testing of cattle, the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework, and an overview of the Port of Townsville.
"It promises to be an interesting and informative day discussing how we secure a sustainable future for the livestock export sector and make the most of emerging opportunities," Mr Struss said.
The forum runs from 9am to 4pm. Registration is free, but essential for catering purposes. A networking function will follow at the end of the forum.
CLICK HERE to register for the Townsville forum.