Cattle Council of Australia is calling out Senator Bridget McKenzie’s public venting against Peak Industry Council’s handling of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) recommendations as a complete misrepresentation of the facts.

“Senator McKenzie’s comments regarding the lack of leadership in the beef industry are surprising and appear to be an attempt by the Senator to salvage some semblance of credibility out of the ongoing Senate inquiry” said Howard Smith.

“I fail to see where the ‘consolidation of the red meat processing sector’ has been addressed by this Committee. Senator McKenzie’s comments are at best political grandstanding”

“Despite the Senator’s accusations, Cattle Council has been actively engaging with red meat organisations in getting competition policy right and not stifling industry with another layer of red tape. It is worth noting that from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) national 12-month study of the beef supply chain, there has not been a single case prosecuted against anyone.”

“RMAC has been instrumental in developing these policies and has shown true leadership in pulling together competing industry interests – as it was designed to do. Calling out RMAC for a failure to abide by ACCC recommendations only shows a lack of understanding of industry structures”

“The Australian beef industry has a strong reputation on the global stage and comments like these from Senator McKenzie are of no use to our industry and are potentially harmful for our producers”

Cattle Council is committed to working with all aspects of industry to put in place policy that enhances competition and gives producers confidence in the markets for their beef.

Source: Cattle Council of Australia