Chickenmeat Group Annual Meeting
Board Room Level 6 Farrer House Melbourne Commencing Thursday 29 March 2012 at 12.30pm.
The Victorian Farmers Federation Chicken Meat Group represents the interests of more than 90 percent of Victoria's contracted Broiler Farmers.
The Group is structured into four Branches reflecting the processor to which a grower is contracted. A major role of the Chicken Meat Group is to assist members in negotiations of the growing fee and contract conditions with the processors to ensure a fair deal to all parties.
The Victorian industry produces more than 128 million high quality birds annually, approximately 30 percent of the total Australian production.
Chicken is currently the most popular meat in Australia. Presently we consume 37.4 kilograms per person. It is low cost, consistent in quality, free from hormones, low in fat and available in many easy to prepare forms. The relative cost advantages are attributable to developments in bird-type, growing efficiencies, processing and marketing.
Challenges facing the industry in Australia are similar to all intensive livestock industries throughout the developed world. This is the increasing community awareness and interest of the health implications of food consumed and the environmental and animal welfare issues of food production.
To address these issues the Chicken Meat Group has developed the Chicken Care Program. This sets the standard of best operating practices for the industry. Growers seek Chicken Care accreditation and are audited to ensure that the standards are maintained.
Other challenges facing the industry are:
- To ensure a fair trading relationship between the producer and the buyer in a highly concentrated and vertically integrated industry.
- Encroachment of residential developments into traditional agricultural areas creating conflicts between farmers and new residents with an idealistic expectation of rural living.
- Maintaining Australia's quarantine rules to prevent exotic diseases entering the country.
Chicken Meat Group Structure
| President: | Mike Shaw |
| Vice President: | Colin Peel |
| Treasurer: | Anthony Acciarito |
| Manager: | Ian Blyth |
| Office Manager: | Bridget Brennan |
Chicken Meat President
Mike became vice president of Inghams Grower Group in the late 1980s a position he held for some 14 years. He has been a member of the executive of the Victorian Farmers Federation Chicken Meat Group and was appointed President in 2006. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the VFF.
His contribution to the industry includes a member of the Victorian Broiler Industry Negotiation Committee, a member of two Broiler Code Advisory Committees and chairman of the VFF Chicken Care Program.
Chicken Meat Issues
Towards a Workable Excision Policy
The Future Farming Strategy has the ability to encourage innovation, increase productivity and make the farming sector even more competitive in the current environment of uncertain prices and demand, climate change and competitive global markets. In this context the Group has been advocating to have a Strategy that really will work to the benefit of growers and the community. The CMG has presented a submission to the Steering Committee focussing on the establishment of a Regional Planning Authority, the development of an excision policy that will enable broiler shedding from urban encroached farms to be relocated.
Animal Welfare
The Australian Animal Welfare Strategy represents a move towards adopting a more consistent and national approach to animal welfare regulation and enforcement. As with food safety, regulation will be a State responsibility and requirements will vary from State to State.
Biosecurity
Biosecurity Australia has finalised the Import Risk Analysis for chicken meat. A conservative approach has been adopted and the situation with respect to the importation remains virtually unchanged. The generic national Biosecurity Manual has been finalised, and the chicken industry manual is close to completion.
