Beef Central publishes an occasional summary of appointments, departures and achievements occurring across the red meat and livestock supply chain. Send details for entries to admin@beefcentral.com

• NAPCo loses fourth CEO in four years
• New red meat corporate affairs management role
• Acting NTCA CEO a finalist in Young Achiever awards
• Commercial biotech role for former Herefords manager
• Life membership for former Droughtmaster CEO
• New faces representing stock haulage industry
• Animal health expert joins UN technical advisory group on methane

NAPCo loses fourth CEO in four years

The North Australian Pastoral Co has lost its fourth chief executive officer in the past four years, following the unexpected departure of Richard Brimblecombe from the senior management role on Friday.

An experienced agribusiness manager and company director, Mr Brimblecombe joined NAPCo in September 2019 from specialist livestock finance company, StockCo. Prior to that he had a background in agribusiness with more than 20 years’ experience in senior management roles in financial services, commodity trading and processing, rural services and distribution, including roles with Suncorp, Namoi Cotton, Landmark and CBA.

Neither NAPCo’s majority shareholder QIC, nor the NAPCo board was prepared to offer responses to questions about the departure put by Beef Central, other than to confirm Mr Brimblecombe’s departure on 12 March. The company and QIC thanked him for his significant contribution to the company.

A process to recruit a new CEO will commence soon, and in the interim NAPCo chairman Paul Tully, a Brisbane solicitor, said he would work closely with the leadership team during the transition.

NAPCo is one of Australia’s oldest pastoral companies, tracing its origins back to 1877. The company is 80pc majority-owned by the Queensland Investment Corporation. It runs about 180,000 head of cattle on 13 well-located properties across Queensland, plus the large Wainui feedlot on Queensland’s Darling Downs.

New red meat corporate affairs management role

Meat & Livestock Australia has recently advertised on behalf of the broader industry to fill an important new Canberra-based industry role as manager of the Red Meat Industry Corporate Affairs Unit (ICAU).

Despite its location, the job has nothing to do with the political lobby process, but is Canberra-based to be close to the various red meat industry peak councils and the Red Meat Advisory Council. It will be MLA’s first Canberra-based appointment.

The new appointee will oversee the functions of the Red Meat Industry Corporate Affairs Unit. The Unit will provide direct support to the red meat and livestock supply chain in capacity-building in the areas of communications, issues and stakeholder management and crisis response. Ultimately, the Unit will comprise up to three staff. An Advisory Board made up of representatives from each of the contributing organisations will provide oversight and guidance. The board will have a rotating chair, elected by the group.

Beef Central was told the ICAU manager will collaborate closely with RMAC and peak council groups to support them in technical, strategic and operational aspects of corporate communications, media and issues management. This falls in line with the objectives of the red meat industry’s Strategic Plan, Red Meat 2030, and the broader challenges being faced by industry in areas like animal welfare, environmental footprint including methane, alternative proteins and related issues.

The successful candidate will drive development of a strategic approach to critical cross sectoral issues like the examples listed above. He or she will assist in the development of a best practice policy framework, templates and processes for industry, identify key issues and research needed to inform industry approaches to them and provide R&D to aid and inform peak council policy development.

The ICAU will help coordinate and align messages and best-practices responses to industry issues and crises, help build key relationships, and support RMAC and the peak councils in their communications about serious red meat and livestock issues such as alternative proteins, environmental impact, nutrition and animal welfare. It will also build on the work completed during 2019-20, including the use of an advisory board that represented the interests of the entire supply chain, to provide input into priorities and activities.

An appointment is expected in coming months, with a likely mid-year starting date.

Acting NTCA CEO a finalist in Young Achiever awards

The Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association’s acting chief executive Romy Carey has been announced as a finalist for the Agriculture division in the 2021 Northern Territory Young Achiever Awards. The awards recognise, encourage and reward the positive achievements of young Territorians up to 30 years of age, and acknowledge, encourage and promote the positive achievements of young people in the NT.

In the running for the Agriculture Award, Darwin-born Romy has had a passion for animals and a lifestyle connected to the land from a very young age. She grew up campdrafting and playing polocrosse, and loved spending time on friends’ cattle stations and rural properties.

Mrs Carey said while she wasn’t born into the agriculture life – it is something she’s always loved. “The industry is always facing challenges,” Ms Carey said. “And we have to keep telling our stories to fight off mixed messages and educate people about the industry. Education is the key to combat misinformation.”

Ms Carey filled in as acting CEO of the NTCA following the departure of Ashley Manicaros late last year. She will hand over to the incoming CEO Will Evans next week during the annual NTCA conference in Alice Springs.

Commercial biotech role for former Herefords CEO

Former breed society operations manager Andrew Donoghue has taken up a new position as regional sales manager Australia and New Zealand for US-based animal management and biotechnology company, Vytelle.

Mr Donoghue spent the past four years as chief executive of Herefords Australia, passing over the batton last month to former MLA senior manager Lisa Sharp.

His is the first Vytelle company appointment in Australia. Vytelle recently merged with feed intake measurement company, Growsafe Systems, which has successfully penetrated the Australian cattle market over the past six years with its Growsafe feed testing station technology. The companies’ primary focus is on providing precision livestock tools to help accelerate genetic advances in cattle biotechnology. Both companies are owned by UK-based Wheatsheaf Group.

Mr Donoghue brings 30 years of experience to his new role, with an extensive livestock background in commercial, research and development functions. He has worked on projects spanning breed development, data management and integration of software and on-farm hardware devices.

“Developments in genomics and reproductive technology are moving extremely quick at present and the opportunity to work with a technology company focused on enabling genetic progress to ensure our continued success in delivering a sustainable and nutritious product is exciting, and is the future of the beef and dairy industry,” Mr Donoghue said.

He will be based in Armidale, NSW, and will be manning a Vytelle commercial trade site at the Beef 2021 event in Rockhampton in early May.

Life membership for former Droughtmaster CEO

Former Droughtmaster Stud Breeders Society chief executive Neil Donaldson was presented with Life Membership of the society during a short ceremony at last week’s National Droughtmaster Female Sale at Gympie.

Mr Donaldson spent 22 years at the helm of the Droughtmaster breed, steering it towards both financial security and greater popularity among commercial cattle breeders across northern Australia. He took the helm of the society in 1997, succeeding the late John Boydell.

Making the presentation on Saturday was current Droughtmaster president Todd Heymann and former president Rob Atkinson.

 

New faces representing stock haulage industry

The NSW Livestock, Bulk & Rural Carriers Association elected a series of office bearers at its recent annual general meeting.

Elected president was Paul Pulver, while vice president (Livestock) was Raymond Sutton and Treasurer, Stephen Hopkins. Dianne Peisley will fill the role as representative on the Australian Livestock Road Transporters Association, while the regulator representative is Wade Lewis.

Two representatives were elected from the livestock fleet operators sector, from Cavanagh’s Transport & Martin’s Stock Haulage.

Also during the annual meeting, the ALRTA congratulated Mathew Benseman, who won the 2021 SafeWork NSW Young Driver of the Year Award. The award, sponsored by SafeWork NSW and the LBRCA, recognises outstanding young drivers under 35 who demonstrate a best practice approach to driving and safety. The major prize was a $5000 trip to either Western Australia, New Zealand or the US.

Animal health expert joins UN technical advisory group on methane

A significant appointment has been made to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s global expert working group, in the field of methane.

Dr Saheed Salami has joined the technical advisory group on methane for the FAO Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership.

A research fellow with global animal nutrition and health company, Alltech, Dr Salami joins other industry experts on the working group, focussed on revising methane assessment guidelines to enhance greenhouse gas emission inventories, and to improve carbon footprint assessments and strategies for low-carbon livestock and food security.

“This will serve as an excellent opportunity to work with global leaders across the industry to improve carbon footprint assessments and strategies for low-carbon livestock and food security,” Dr Salami said.

Dr Salami has international experience in leading research and handling technical responsibilities in sustainable animal nutrition and food quality. He joined Alltech in 2019 as a research fellow based in Stamford, UK, as part of the company’s Solutions Deployment Team. Prior to joining Alltech, he obtained a double PhD in agricultural, food and environmental science from the University of Catania in Italy and University College Cork, Ireland. He also has a double master’s degree in sustainable animal nutrition and feeding from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and Ecole d’Ingénieurs de Purpan, France.

The Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) Partnership is a multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to improve the environmental sustainability of the livestock sector through harmonized methods, metrics, and data. LEAP leads a coordinated global initiative to accelerate the sustainable development of livestock supply chain and to support coherent climate actions, while contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.