The first three videos feature the stories of Erica and Stuart Halliday from Walcha NSW, Stuart Austin from Willmott Cattle Co in Ebor NSW, and Melinee Leather from Banana QLD.
Red meat producers are featuring in a series of new videos, sharing their stories to inform consumers on how red meat is produced in Australia.
Produced by Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) community engagement platform, Australian Good Meat, the videos profile red meat producers from across the country and will be rolled out on social media and digital platforms to demonstrate how caring for animals, the land and the environment is at the heart of everything they do and crucial to managing a successful farm.
The first three videos feature the stories of Erica and Stuart Halliday from Walcha NSW, Stuart Austin from Willmott Cattle Co in Ebor NSW, and Melinee Leather from Banana QLD.
MLA Managing Director, Jason Strong, said the videos support the evolving expectations of consumers and the community, who want a greater understanding of where their food comes from and how it’s produced.
“The videos transport viewers to the farms of red meat producers as they explain how they take great pride in their thriving environment, healthy ecosystems and good animal welfare practices,” Mr Strong said.
“MLA’s work around positioning red meat in the marketplace forms a critical part of our Strategic Plan. There continue to be plenty of misconceptions about how red meat is produced in Australia, when in reality our industry has proven to be a world leader in sustainability and animal welfare practices and continues to produce quality red meat that is natural and full of essential nutrients. We just need to get better at telling our story because if we don’t, someone less informed will.”
Mr Strong said while the main aim of the videos was to provide information to consumers via digital and social channels, MLA has also produced ‘longer form versions’ aimed at other red meat producers to encourage practice change on-farm.
“The long videos are focused on research adoption and will be shared through MLA’s red meat producer-facing channels. Importantly, they demonstrate the tools and practice change being implemented on farms across Australia around animal husbandry and welfare, natural capital, biodiversity and drought resilience, and carbon emissions and sequestration, all with the aim of driving greater productivity,” Mr Strong said.
For fifth generation Walcha beef graziers Erica and Stu Halliday leaving the land in a better state for the next generation drives their passion and commitment to regenerative change.
“We are working to increase soil carbon through a combination of new pastures varieties and rotational grazing and are on-track to be carbon neutral before 2030,” they said.
“Through our regenerative on-farm practices we are working to go beyond carbon neutrality to be a net carbon sink, using plants and livestock to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and put it back into the soil.
“We were really happy to open our farm gate and let the community see what we do and how their food is produced. Taking part in the video shoot was a fun experience and we would encourage other producers who are interested in being advocates for their industry to be involved.”
https://www.mla.com.au/news-and-events/industry-news/red-meat-producers-open-farm-gates-to-share-their-story/