WA Beef Council chairman Tony Hiscock hopes the organisation’s move to become an Incorporated Association can help further expedite projects designed to improve the value of WA beef products across the supply chain.

The Council recently elected its office bearers under the new structure, including Donnybrook producer John Fry as vice-chairman, Dongara producer Craig Forsyth as secretary and WA Meat Industry Authority chief executive Renata Paliskis as treasurer. Broome cattleman Kurt Elezovich is also a member of the management committee.

Mr Hiscock said the change in the Council’s structure would allow it to operate more independently of the State Government and Department of Agriculture and Food WA, as well as fast-track its processes.

Formed as a recommendation from the WA Stocktake Report, the Beef Council has initially operated via funding from the Cattle Industry Compensation Fund (CICF).

With a number of projects on the table and also earmarked for the future benefit of the WA industry, further funding will be leveraged from the Federal and State governments as well as Meat and Livestock Australia.

The Council is currently developing a roll-out and communications plan for its high quality EU 100-day Grainfed market project and is in discussions with processors.

It has also been involved in a range of other activity in recent months, including:

• The Red Sky business analysis program with producers, which recently culminated in the presentation of the WA Beef Producer of the Year Awards at the Beef Council’s ‘Building WA Beef 2011’ industry day held at Mundijong.
• The ‘WA Northern Beef Forum’, staged at Broome recently to discuss market opportunities in the wake of the Indonesian live export ban and explore the industry’s future direction in the region.
• The Northern Abattoir pre-feasibility study.
• Targeting other market opportunities, including for cull cows.
• Working closely with the State taskforce that addressed the ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia.
• Developing new processes that will assist to put the industry in a better position for future development.

Mr Hiscock said the recent Building WA Beef 2011 and WA Northern Beef Forum events had generated excellent feedback from producers and other industry stakeholders.

“They were a very good vehicle for discussing some of the latest developments and progress in the industry and we hope this can continue in the future,’’ he said.

The Beef Council also is developing a business plan with DAFWA and MLA to ensure an effective partnership for the industry’s future.