Opinion

Former NAPCo head Allan Cooney: What I think about when I’m thinking about markets

In this contributed article, outgoing NAPCo cheif executive officer Allan Cooney gives insight into how he reads markets and explains why he thinks the female slaughter ratio is outdated…Read More

Outgoing NAPCo CEO Allan Cooney, 20/08/2026

Cattle levy review: History offers lessons for what comes next

As Australia’s cattle transaction levy undergoes a major review, former Cattle Council chief David Palmer looks back at the debates and compromises that created it, and the lessons they hold for reform today…Read More

David Palmer, 19/08/2026

Opinion: Over-charged, over-regulated and over it

The Australian National Audit Office’s (ANAO) damning audit of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s (DAFF) biosecurity cost recovery program has severely eroded industry confidence in the department’s ability to deliver a fair, transparent and credible outcome through its current review of export cost recovery arrangements…Read More

ALEC CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton, 11/08/2026

We’re counting cattle emissions wrong (and why it matters to every Australian)

Australia is taking responsibility for increased warming it is not causing, and the consequences stretch far beyond the farm gate, according to a recently published paper…Read More

Beef Central, 10/07/2026

Perspective: Public debate deserves a more honest conversation about land management

Why practical land management knowledge deserves a greater place in public discussions about Australia’s landscapes…Read More

James Nason, 07/07/2026

Has Australian agriculture ever faced more policy uncertainty?

As new Federal environmental laws take effect next week, many producers still don’t know what could trigger costly referrals, investigations or fines…Read More

James Nason, 23/06/2026

Opinion: Livestock producers face methane crossroads: engage, ignore, or offset?

In this contributed opinion piece Farmers for Climate Action director Peter Holding says Australia’s livestock industries cannot afford to sit out the methane debate, arguing the sector’s future will depend on whether producers reduce emissions, rely on offsets, or let climate impacts dictate outcomes…Read More

Beef Central, 03/06/2026

The cost of doing something

After challenging Beef Central readers with his recent article “What is the cost of doing nothing?”, Andrew Freshwater today follows up with a second article asking, as farmers, can we still afford to do something?..Read More

Andrew Freshwater, 30/03/2026

What’s the cost of doing nothing?

Victorian beef and lamb producer Andrew Freshwater provides some thoughts and numbers based on a modelled farm in Northeastern Victoria, where a ‘do nothing’ fertiliser and soil improvement strategy could cost the business $3.13m over a few years  …  ..Read More

Guest Author, 13/03/2026

Producer viewpoint: Do we need to rethink biosecurity?

The arrival of Lumpy Skin Disease in Bali is a timely reminder that biosecurity risks are not going away; they are just getting closer, and the risk of incursion is increasing…Read More

Markus Rathsmann, 29/01/2026

Australian agriculture needs to stop leaving its future to chance

While mining steadily “drips water on a stone” to shape public understanding, Australia’s red meat sector still relies largely on an ad hoc approach and volunteers to tell the $77b industry’s story…Read More

James Nason, 04/12/2025

Labor’s deal with Greens shocks cattle industry, but it should be no surprise

The Federal Government yesterday shocked many in the cattle industry when it announced it had done a deal with the Greens to overhaul the country’s environmental laws…Read More

Eric Barker, 28/11/2025

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