A MEETING of the Australian beef industry's heavy hitters has wrapped up in Brisbane with consensus reached on catering to consumer demands on sustainable supply.
Today's meeting, which was closed to media, was held at Nationals Senator Ron Boswell's office in response to the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.
Called the 'square table', the meeting was convened to begin the development of an industry-driven environmental standard in contrast to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) designed standard that has captured the attention of some of beef's biggest supply chain partners.
Square table chairman David Farley said today’s meeting of Australian beef industry representatives had demonstrated the sector’s focus on meeting changing consumer demands.
Mr Farley and the participants said the meeting was a resounding success that highlighted the responsibility of Australian producers to promote their world-class standards with our major customers.
“It was great to see so many leaders from across the beef sector come together and discuss our industry’s future,” Mr Farley said.
“We all accept our beef supply chain should listen to the calls of our consumers and getting everyone in the same room has given strong direction to this focus.
“We have achieved a lot in a short amount of time.”
Mr Farley said an official statement on the outcomes of the meeting would be released on Monday.