Reforms to Australia’s livestock export industry will be on the agenda at LIVEXforum 2016 in Canberra later this month with Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Hon Joel Fitzgibbon MP, set to provide an overview of Federal Labor’s policies as they relate to the live trade.

The annual industry conference, to be held on October 26-27, will give livestock exporters, producers and other stakeholders the chance to hear Mr Fitzgibbon state the case for an independent Office of Animal Welfare and Labor’s plans for a top-to-bottom review the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS).

Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council CEO Simon Westaway welcomed Mr Fitzgibbon’s willingness to openly engage with the livestock export sector and discuss prominent issues such as regulatory reform and Australia’s world-leading supply chain standards.

“Livestock exporters are keen participants in the debate about what constitutes the right balance in terms of regulatory reform. We value Mr Fitzgibbon’s perspective and are very grateful that he has accepted the invitation to discuss the Labor Party’s livestock export and animal welfare policies,” Mr Westaway said.

“Furthermore, we applaud Mr Fitzgibbon for the pro-active approach he is applying to his shadow portfolio responsibilities, which has included an Indonesian supply chain tour late last year.”

Following his LIVEXforum speech, Mr Fitzgibbon will also participate in a panel discussion entitled‘Modernising regulation: Dealing with the now’. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Agriculture Commissioner Mick Keogh and leading agribusiness litigator and industry adviser Dr Michael Maxwell will also make presentations and participate in the panel. The session will give delegates a chance to directly address the panellists in what is expected to be a lively Q&A-style discussion.

Mr Westaway said the shape and pace of future industry reform would be the central narrative at LIVEXforum 2016, which had embraced the theme of ‘Striking the social balance: Regulation, Accountability and Profitability’.

“The LIVEXforum 2016 program reflects our industry’s commitment to ongoing reform and reinforcing our reputation as a global leader in all facets of the livestock export supply chain,” he said.

“ALEC and LiveCorp look forward to hosting a lively and topical discussion about the opportunities and challenges facing our $2 billion industry.”

Source: ALEC