LOW farmgate beef returns were the primary concern of delegates at the SA Beef Producer Forum at Hahndorf last week with many remembering similar market conditions a decade earlier.
But the forum also highlighted the opportunities for producers to earn a little extra for their cattle through hitting target markets, becoming European Union-accredited, or participating in the new Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System.
Teys Australia is using the PCAS to underpin its Grasslands brand and for August delivery is offering a 70 cents a kilogram premium above the MSA grid price.
The forum - a joint initiative of the Cattle Council of Australia, Livestock SA, and Meat & Livestock Australia - included an afternoon question and answer panel session.
It was a chance for producers to raise issues about the effect of dwindling saleyard competition, the high cost of processing cattle in Australia and processor rationalisation and the right to farm in the Adelaide Hills.
Council chief executive Jed Matz said they were seeking to obtain a portion of the $5 transaction levy direct from the government to better address many of these industry concerns.
He said the organisation was underfunded and largely relied on service-provider agreements with MLA, Animal Health Australia, & and the National Residue Service.
It was seeking through a Senate inquiry to obtain this additional funding for analysis of strategic issues such as greater transparency in the supply chain.
"It is not ideal to be setting the direction of MLA but also getting money from them, so we need to be able to divert the funds directly from the government," Mr Matz said.
"We are asking for 7 per cent of the $5 to manage Cattle Council's four functions on your behalf. Industry advocacy should be a voluntary contribution, but the other three functions - strategy, industry representation and strategic policy development - are appropriate for socialised funds as they benefit the whole of industry ."
He encouraged SA producers to become direct members and have their say, with just 200 members nationwide signing up since the CCA restructure in late January.
"If you are a member of Livestock SA, it is free to be a member of Cattle Council," he said.
"Any organisation is only as good as the people involved in it so we need producers to bring their ideas to us and we'll work for you."
* Full report in Stock Journal, June 5, 2014 issue.
Catherine Miller
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
