The Sustainability Steering Group (SSG) is appointed by the Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC) to progress the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) on behalf of the beef industry.
RMAC appointed the first SSG in 2016 to develop the Framework. The second SSG continued with consultation, the collection of data, refinement of indicators (including the establishment of the first Expert Working Group) and assessment of industry priorities, as well as overseeing the publication of the first report.
The third SSG was appointed in December 2018 and led by Chair, Tess Herbert, to address data gaps, refine some indicators, and deliver Annual Updates from 2019 to 2021.
The current SSG is chaired by Mark Davie, delivering the 2022 Annual Update and further refining data and indicators to improve how the ABSF reports on the sustainability of the Australian beef industry as well as provide advice to RMAC on sustainability matters.
Click here to view the SSG Terms of Reference
Click here to view the SSG 2021-2024 Workplan
Carl Duncan is Group Manager Resource Efficiency at Teys Australia, where his key responsibilities include providing strategic advice on energy, water and GHG emissions; seeking opportunities to improve resource efficiency, and leadership and capacity building around resource management. An electrical engineer by trade, Carl's core objective is to support Australian business become more profitable while improving environmental performance.
Mark Davie lives and works on a family cattle breeding property, Greenlake Station, north of Yeppoon, Queensland. They crossbreed Brahman cows and sell weaners for backgrounding into both northern live export and southern feedlot markets. Mark also runs Keppel Brand, a food manufacturing business in Yeppoon that sells value added meat products to the food service market nationally.
Melinee Leather and husband Robert own and operate Barfield Station in the Banana region of Queensland. Barfield is a certified organic, PCAS, EU and Grazing BMP property. The family also runs a sustainable breeding operation at Four Mile. Melinee was previously Chair of the Cattle Council of Australia Animal Health, Welfare & Biosecurity Committee.
Dr Michael Maxwell has over 20 years' experience as a consultant and lawyer, with focus on regulatory issues, international risk management, corporate culture, governance and product liability issues. Michael's legal skills are complemented by a scientific research background in pharmacology and toxicology. Michael has a particular focus on the live export industry.
Trevor Moore is Group Systems and Compliance Manager at the Northern co-operative Meat Company (NCMC), the largest co-operative meat company in Australia, with over 800 members and nearly 1,000 employees at both the beef and pork abattoirs in northern NSW. Trevor is responsible for the environmental sustainability of both abattoirs and the business' farm.
Jenny O'Sullivan and her husband Paul run a cattle and sheep farm in Victoria's South Gippsland region. They sell cattle to Coles, grass finishers or Gippsland Natural. Gippsland Natural is a producer-owned operation that Jenny helped establish and chaired for seven years. Jenny also operates Gippsland Food Adventures and is Chair of the South East Victoria and Tasmania Regional Committee of the Southern Australia Meat Research Council (SAMRC).