WA Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman has appointed David Lock as chairman of the Western Australian Meat Industry Authority (WAMIA), replacing Kerry McAuliffe who has stepped down after more than a decade in the position.

In a press release issued this morning, Mr Redman paid tribute to Mr McAuliffe, who he said had been at the helm of WAMIA during a period of great change for the livestock industry.

“Kerry has overseen the closure of the Midland Saleyards, construction, opening and operation of the Muchea Livestock Centre and the development and implementation of the State Saleyard Strategy,” he said.

“Kerry, the board and management of the authority should be very proud of their achievements.”

Mr McAuliffe said it had been a privilege to have chaired the WAMIA board for 13 years, during which there had been significant change to the meat and livestock industry in WA and   WAMIA had been a key driver.

“Developing and implementing the Animal Welfare Standards for Western Australian Saleyards is an example of this leadership,” Mr McAuliffe said.

Newly appointed WAMIA chairman, David Lock, is currently chief executive officer of the Craig Mostyn Group (CMG), a 90-year-old Australian family-owned agribusiness and food company based in WA. CMG employs 450 people and has annual sales of $300million.

A chartered accountant, Mr Lock’s previous roles include chief financial officer with CMG and more than a decade in Sydney, Canada and the UK, with one of the world’s leading accountancy and business advisory firms.

Mr Lock sees the challenges for WAMIA as consolidating the future of the Muchea Livestock Centre, and ensuring WA has adequate meat processing facilities for producers, while delivering a product that satisfies community expectations for health, food safety and animal welfare.

The new chairman believes WAMIA must plan for increasing demand for meat as a protein source from emerging economies including India, China and Indonesia.

“The authority has a role to play in setting the bar high for all operators in the WA livestock and meat processing sectors, so that we continue to deliver world class meat products to an increasingly discerning domestic and global market,” Mr Lock said.

The Minister said he expected Mr Lock’s strategic approach to business would bring WAMIA and the Muchea Livestock Centre operations to another level.