By HARRY CLARKE
SUSTAINABILITY, biosecurity, animal welfare and innovation were among the main topics on the agenda at this week’s Protein 2023 Conference, hosted by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise.
Dozens of delegates gathered at the Dalby Events Centre to hear from a range of industry leaders, business owners and event sponsors from across the beef, pork, poultry and dairy sectors.
Keynote speakers included The Sustainability Consortium director of retail Amy Scoville-Weaver and science and impact manager Teresa Garcia-Moore, and GOALSciences Global Observatory of Accurate Livestock Sciences Peer Ederer.
Panel discussion topics included the advancement of sustainable production systems, developments in biosecurity practices, animal welfare, on-farm production improvements, innovative energy solutions and “demystifying carbon markets and net zero”.
Mort & Co food supplement manager Cameron Best (pictured above) said the event enabled leaders throughout the meat supply chain to share knowledge about sustainability practice amid new legislative requirements aimed to help Australia reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
“It’s an opportunity to bring information and cognisance about the rangelands side of the equation because that’s where all the scope 3 emissions are. It’s the genesis of the supply chain, particularly the cattle supply chain, that is the focus of this conference and of this region,” Best said.
“I think we are very cognisant of the problem and now it’s about trying to bring solutions to that problem.
“It needs to be a mutual effort. We need on-ground truth and at the other end is the regulatory cost of production – how much are we going to have to pay for carbon or not, and some of the instability factors in the legislation.
“It needs to be a mutual effort, both at the physical on-ground truth and the regulatory requirements about carbon, which is very fluid at the moment.
“It’s a case of getting both of those things stable so then you have the stability to entice investment into the problem.
Day Two of the Protein 2023 Conference event involved a site tour or Mort & Co’s Grassdale Feedlot south of Dalby.
