QUALITY, freshness and price remain the most important concerns for Australian beef consumers, but welfare issues concerned with provenance and the environment are slowly becoming very important.
But Meat & Livestock Australia manager of community engagement Pip Band said industry should not fear this.
Instead, it should use improving awareness as an opportunity to highlight the industry's sustainability.
"People increasingly want natural, real, whole food and our industry is just so well positioned to be able to capitalise on that," she said.
For the past five years MLA has undertaken consumer tracking of consumer perceptions and spending behaviour.
The latest survey results show there is a good level of trust for Australian sheep and cattle producers: at 52 per cent saying they are ethical and trustworthy and 42pc neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Sixty-six per cent of those surveyed believed farmers made a positive contribution to society and 29pc neither agreed nor disagreed.
The proportion of the population who are eating less red meat because of environmental or animal welfare concerns has also remained stable - less than 5pc.
More than half the consumers surveyed had no concerns about beef production, but when they did it was more focused on welfare than the environment.
The greatest welfare concerns remain at the point of slaughter,
This year's results, however showed that on-farm concerns were starting to trend up.
"This is an area industry needs to get on the front foot with," Ms Band said. "Domestically, the focus on animal welfare campaigns has been in chicken and pork areas, but it is inevitable at some point that there will be a focus on on-farm practices."
Environment was a low driver, but Ms Band said industry could not afford to be complacent with issues associated with sustainability.
"When I started on this project four years ago it was all about methane, cattle worse than coal, but concern for the environment is at an all-time low," she said
"This is not a permanent thing and the issues will start to flow through.
"When the dams dry up again, water-use will become a concern again."
Ms Band said MLA was being proactive in this area through its key communication platform - Target 100 - which aimed to demonstrate that Australia produced the highest quality, most sustainably produced beef in the world.
It highlighted 100 research and extension initiatives being undertaken by industry, from biodiversity to water-use efficiency, reducing emissions and providing many facts.
She said Target 100 was succeeding at targeting the 10pc of "thought leaders" who really considered the issues surrounding food production. Often this minority influenced the views of the wider population.
* Full report in Stock Journal, August 21, 2014 issue.
Catherine Miller
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
