Minister backs beef producers at industry roundtable

Published Monday, 19 November, 2018 at 05:10 PM

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries
The Honourable Mark Furner

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner has praised Queensland’s beef industry for its resilience and ability to innovate.

Speaking after hosting a Beef Industry Roundtable in Brisbane, Mr Furner said drought had hurt some producers but there was a lot to be optimistic about.

“The beef industry contributes more than $5 billion and 18,000 jobs to the Queensland economy, so it is encouraging to see how it continues to innovate despite drought conditions,” Mr Furner said.

“Today’s forum was an important opportunity to listen to the concerns and ideas of industry players and to work together to build successful partnerships.”

Mr Furner said the Palaszczuk Government had followed through on its commitment to support and inform investment in the beef industry with $700,000 committed to independent beef supply chain studies.

The studies include: 

  • The impact of defence force land acquisitions on the supply chain;
  • A state-wide assessment of cattle supply;
  • Forecast herd rebuilding time and an analysis of factors influencing the potential commercial viability of new abattoirs at locations across the state; and
  • The investment outlook for the Queensland beef supply chain.

Aspects of these reports have been translated in to several languages to assist in promoting Queensland’s beef industry to export markets.

Mr Furner said maintaining Queensland’s reputation as a clean and efficient provider of quality beef was a key to continuing growth in the industry.

“Our beef exports to Japan are valued at almost $1.4 billion and South Korea takes more than $800 million in Queensland beef,” Mr Furner said.

“We will continue to push the case for Queensland produce through initiatives such as our trade mission to Japan and South Korea in September and supporting our producers to access new and expanding markets.”

ENDS

Media contact:           Ron Goodman            0427 781 920