Food Agility chief scientist Prof David Lamb. Photo: Supplied Food Agility

AN agricultural research organisation says Australian supply chains are leading the world to answer new demands for market access, releasing a pilot program to demonstrate compliance to European deforestation requirements.

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) means after 30 December 2024, products traded within EU such as soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, timber, rubber, as well as beef and beef co-products must be able to show they don’t contribute to deforestation or forest degradation.

Supply chain companies are under pressure to follow the EU, with international target setting organisations pushing companies to show they don’t contribute to deforestation and Australian activists and scientists running an ongoing campaign for beef supply chains to demonstrate deforestation-related credentials.

In response, Food Agility has been putting together AgTrace – which is aiming to build on existing traceability programs to become like a digital passport for cattle.

AgTrace Australia project manager and Food Agility chief scientist, Professor David Lamb, said the industry is likely to face more market access demands like EUDR.

“When we started developing this program, we didn’t have EUDR specifically in mind, we just knew there was always going to be an increasing need for ‘digital passport’-type technology,” Prof Lamb said.

“There has been a lot of talk lately about how supply chains are not doing anything about this type of traceability, but the reality is that they are already significantly investing in it. EUDR is one of what I think will be a broad suite of regulations that will require this type of technology.”

EUDR already starting to enter the supply chain

Australian beef exports to the EU were worth almost $150m in 2023, with hides worth an estimated $50m.

The EUDR is a business-to-business requirement and will apply to Australian cattle producers, including feedlots, who supply EU eligible cattle, EU listed beef processors, and hides destined to be exported there.

Whole-of-life product traceability with geolocations of product origins will be required to meet EU import documentation and that’s where AgTrace will play a key role.

Some longer-fed EU feedlot programs are already requiring the geolocations for cattle, as the product will be delivered next year when the legislation is in force.

Prof Lamb said a good first step for producers is to sign up to My MLA and join the satellite operated Australian Feedbase Monitor. He said AgTrace was the next step.

AgTrace is an initiative of Food Agility partially funded by the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry. Teys Australia, Casino Hide Tanners, and AI Topper and Co are some of the industry partners participating in the pilot program.

“Our efforts aim to demonstrate data sharing protocols and verification throughout the red meat supply chain to ensure market access for emerging requirements such as EUDR,” Professor Lamb said.

The first stage aims to demonstrate to the European Commission that compliance with Federal and State and Territory Land Management laws produces an equivalent outcome to the EUDR.

Results from the pilot program will be used to develop a more permanent, long-term method of demonstrating compliance with the EUDR.

• For more information on AgTrace you can contact Prof Lamb on comms@foodagility.com