Change in governance: What does it mean for the ABSF?

Late last year, governance of the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) was transitioned to a new ABSF Advisory Board. The goal is to continue developing the framework to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

Previously governed by the Red Meat Advisory Council, the new Advisory Board is made up of representatives from peak industry bodies, including Cattle Australia (CA), Australian Lot Feeders’ Association (ALFA), and the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC).

ABSF Advisory Board member and AMIC CEO Tim Ryan said the change in governance should elevate the ABSF when it comes to utilisation by industry.

“The framework has matured over time and, as it has grown, it has become more and more clear in its purpose. The three principal representative bodies wanted to have greater ownership to respond to future industry and market needs,” Tim said.

“Having the peak bodies more directly involved will provide an opportunity for more direct input from all parts of the industry, while ensuring it we can respond to the commercial drivers we’re seeing in the global marketplace.”

Fellow Advisory Board member and Cattle Australia Deputy Chair Adam Coffey said the governance change would be a positive for industry engagement.

“We recognised the need to engage the ABSF better with producers, and felt if it was brought under the jurisdiction of three majorly involved peak industry bodies, we could probably have a more focused oversight,” Adam said.

“The environmental sustainability space is evolving so quickly…it was important for us to all dive in together to figure out how we can best use the ABSF and ensure it is fit for purpose well into the future.”

ALFA CEO and Advisory Board member Christian Mulders said he was excited to work with the passionate and knowledgeable Steering Group, who will continue to manage the ABSF’s day-to-day activities.

“We’re seeking ways to utilise the Steering Groups expertise through this process, to help the industry develop sustainability priorities and ensure that the ABSF operations aren’t impacted as part of this transition” Christian said.

Where to now?

Following the change in ownership – which saw new chair Patrick Hutchinson appointed to the ABSF Steering Group – Adam said the focus would now shift to setting the ABSF’s future direction.

“Now that we have a new governance structure, we’ll look to finalise new terms of reference. We’ve elected a new chair of the Steering Group, and there will be some new members coming on board.

“Next will be to do an audit of what the ABSF has achieved and then a holistic discussion from the steering group and the advisory board.”

Tim said the ABSF remains Australia’s key tool for benchmarking sustainability and maintaining access to domestic and international markets.

“We need to decide where to take the framework next in terms of what its role will look like in the future. What everyone is in agreement on is that it’s a really important scorecard that all parts of the supply chain can utilise to tell our story,” Tim said.

“If we effectively tell our story and explain our credentials, we can ensure our markets and customers don’t enforce arbitrary requirements that don’t make sense in the Australian context.”

Going forward, Tim said the priority would be to maintain the integrity of the data within the ABSF and strengthen its role in industry engagement with stakeholders and government.

“Outside of that, it’s an open question about where exactly we take it, and problems we look to solve next with this document.”