Trade

Blockchain – could it revolutionise the food & agri supply chain?

Beef Central, 05/12/2017

THERE is a lot of excitement and talk about the term, ‘blockchain’, but yet little is known about what it actually is, and how this digitised technology could be implemented in the agri sector.

Rabobank agricultural analyst Wes Lefroy has been following the potential of this new digitised approach to managing supply chains, and how it could revolutionise the food and agri supply chain, as we know it.

Authoring an article, Blockchain: Changing Interaction in the F&A Supply Chain from Paddock to Plate, Mr Lefroy looks at the shift towards a digitised supply chain and why it holds great promise for farmers through to the consumer.

“Conceptually, blockchain makes a lot of sense but the potential of it in the agri sector is not something that has been widely considered,” he says.

“Yet the shift towards this technology is progressing quickly and it might be here quicker than we think, with a number of companies already trialling the technology.”

Blockwhat?

As a digital platform, ‘blockchain’ facilitates the transfer of physical commodities right along the supply chain, whereby all transactions are recorded on a shared ledger.

“This shared ledger, essentially a record book, records all the financial transactions, as well as any data or information, that is associated with transferring the physical commodity along the supply chain – from farmer to consumer,” Mr Lefroy said.

He said all those involved in the transaction would have their own copy of the ledger, and each time a transaction is made, a new record (or block) is created and added to the blockchain.

“For it to work, input suppliers, farmers, port authorities, banks, logistical providers, and processors, all need to participate in a common interface and enter their digital information in the same blockchain.”

What does it mean for farmers and graziers?

Mr Lefroy says blockchain offers huge possibilities, given consumers are increasingly demanding high-quality and safe products – as well as, visibility of the supply chain.

The two major benefits it delivers are transparency and provenance, but Mr Lefroy says the secure nature of blockchain also removes counterparty risk – or the “will I get paid?” element from the transaction.

“With blockchain facilitating traceability, it is set to drastically simplify the process of verifying product origin, quality attributes, and production practices,” he said.

“For example, farmers will have much greater understanding of changing consumer preferences, giving them direct feedback into the demand for the different products they are producing. And in turn, consumers will have greater verification of how the product was grown, with input data and production location verifiable.”

Mr Lefroy says for blockchain to take off, it required involvement from all the stakeholders along the supply chain.

This was particularly pertinent for farmers, as the provenance story is diluted, without high quality information about production inputs and origin, he said.

Commercialisation yet to take off

Within Australia and overseas, the shift towards a digitised supply chain was progressing quickly, Mr Lefroy said.

“In Australia, the world’s first settlement of a transaction involving a physical commodity on the blockchain was completed in 2016 by Australian AgTech Company AgriDigital,” he said.

“And since then, we have seen some major grain handlers testing the application of this technology, with blockchain pilots also taking place for other commodities such as meat protein and mangoes.”

While there were still barriers to wide-scale adoption, such as calculating a proper distribution of costs and benefits, Mr Lefroy said there was no doubt that it held promise and wass the way of the future.

 

Source: Rabobank

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Comments

  1. Paul Franks, 06/12/2017

    Can anyone provide proof that end consumers are demanding higher quality and have a safety issue with Australian beef?

    Can anyone point out where Australian beef is not safe and never has been safe even before the regulatory system discovered the beef industry was not regulated enough and went on a regulation rampage.

  2. Andrew Negline, 06/12/2017

    Blockchain does not provide a one size fits all approach to potential red meat supply chain improvements.
    Any Innovation to adopt the crypto model must be met by a corporate appetite to disrupt current supply chain models.
    No doubt with many of the trials underway globally our industry will see the benefits sooner than many think.
    The benefits of blockchain technology are enormous.

    Andrew Negline
    Tilbuster Pastoral co.

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