Clockwise from top left: Adam Coffey, Bill Ellis, Tom Marland, Ange Hutchinson and (centre) Jess Loughland.

A Beef 2024 seminar organised by the AgForce Cattle Board will provide producers with a valuable opportunity to gain a full and wide-ranging update of the various aspects of environmental management issues affecting beef and cattle businesses.

The seminar, to be facilitated by Aspire Ag Director, Ange Hutchinson, will provide a  comprehensive dive into the landscape of sustainable practices and industry advocacy.

Cattle Australia director and CQ beef producer, Adam Coffey will provide a first-hand perspective on appropriate land management.

Lawyer and cattle producer Tom Marland of Marland Law will delve into crucial aspects of land access and biosecurity.

Dr Bill Ellis, Research Fellow of the University of Queensland, will explore the co-existence of beef production and wildlife, covering the unintended consequences of unmanaged land.

Livestock Supply Chain Manager of Greenham and ABSF Sustainability Steering Group member, Jess Loughland, will detail how the sustainability framework works with the supply chain, nationally and internationally, to promote the beef industry.

This seminar will also provide an opportunity for audience participation through an interactive Q&A session.

The seminar builds on a conversation started by AgForce Cattle Board with supply chain partners at the Ekka last year on key issues relating to beef business and environmental management.

At the meeting AgForce Cattle Board president Peter Hall noted that the industry is on the back foot amidst a rising tide of definitions such as forest, deforestation, land use change, reforest, afforestation, regrowth and human-induced land clearing, with external motivations seeking to use such terms of trade and climate justifications against the industry.

But there are concerns that use of limited metrics alone could lead to perverse outcomes such as unmanaged land with consequences including a deteriorating environment and loss of biodiversity and land value.

The seminar will also provide an update on how industry is responding to increasing market pressure to demonstrate nature and biodiversity attributes.

With Queensland increasingly being targeted for deforestation, the AgForce Cattle Board cautions that this metric alone as a measure of environmental health will lead to negative consequences.

Work by AgForce last year helped to draw attention to the devastating impacts of huge fires emanating from National parks in Central Queensland, which clearly demonstrated that not managing landscapes is not an option if positive environmental outcomes are to be achieved.

The AgForce Cattle Board says environment will continue to need to be managed in accordance with each bio-region. The cost of managing woody weeds, pastures and water will continue to increase; a burden that producers will continue to have in managing their beef businesses for strong environmental and biodiversity outcomes.

AgForce Cattle Board says it is seeking equitable outcomes for all producers to demonstrate their credentials through the supply chain for maintained and increased market access.

Event details:

Date: Tuesday 7th May 2024
Time: 1.45pm – 3.15pm
Venue: James Lawrence A
Price: $55+ online booking fee

For more information and to register, click here