Southern Australian Meat Research Council

Meat & Livestock Australia is encouraging grassroots cattle and sheep producers across southern Australia to drive the future direction of levy-payer funded research and development for their area.

The Southern Australian Meat Research Council (SAMRC) was reformed in mid-2015 to gather feedback on the research, development and adoption (RD&A) needs of sheep and grassfed cattle producers across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and from Queensland sheep producers.  This regional consultation model gives producers a say on where their R&D levies should be directed by Meat and Livestock Australia.

SAMRC is supported by seven regional committees, each chaired by a local producer. The regional committees gather input from local producers and producer networks on local R&D needs. SAMRC then considers these priorities from each committee to develop the regional R&D priorities that inform the national priorities for sheepmeat and grassfed beef R&D recommended by the Red Meat Panel.

There were obviously many synergies between the SAMRC process and the aims of the South Australian sheep industry that were being developed through the SA Sheep Industry Blueprint process. The Blueprint working group has offered to fulfil the SA Regional Committee role and represent South Australian sheep and cattle producers around the SAMRC table.

The SAMRC plan was officially launched in Sydney on April 26, 2016, by former chief of CSIRO Livestock Industries, Emeritus Professor Alan Bell and outlines the RD&A priorities identified for each zone, with some issues common among regions, such as feedbase development.

Read more about the regional consultation model

Discuss these priorities with a South Australian SAMRC Regional Committee member

Read a copy of the SAMRC plan