The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) held its inaugural Parliament House event in Canberra this week to celebrate Australia’s world-class red meat processing industry.
The event was hosted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, The Hon. Milton Dick MP, and the Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Red Meat, Senator Susan McDonald from Queensland and Senator Raff Ciccone from Victoria.
The event helped to showcase how red meat processing plants across Australia play an essential role in processing, packaging and delivering high-quality red meat products to domestic and global consumers.
The event was also an opportunity to promote the More to Meat campaign, which is being run in regional Australia to promote the very best of red meat processing.
Australian beef, lamb and goat dishes were featured on the menu, reflecting the diverse range of high-quality red meat products the industry consistently produces.
Those in attendance at the event included federal MPs, Australian senators, government ministers, shadow ministers, regional journalists, as well as industry executives and employees.
AMPC’s Chair, Melissa Fletcher, spoke at the event to highlight the economic and social benefits the red meat processing industry brings to regional Australia and the support the industry provides to the red meat supply chain.
Ms Fletcher said: “Red meat processing makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy each year, estimated to be $21 billion annually across the supply chain. Through our More to Meat campaign, we’re communicating how the industry is an essential jobs provider in regional Australia and how Australia’s red meat products really are world-class.”
“It is fantastic to celebrate the best of red meat processing in the nation’s capital as we see the demand for Australian red meat products growing” said Ms Fletcher.
But the stars of the show were the industry employees themselves who had travelled from regional towns and cities across the country to share their experiences of working in red meat processing.
One of the many employees was Nikita Ellison, a Sustainability Coordinator from Nolan Meats in Gympie. She spoke about how she has benefited from a career in the industry.
Ms Ellison said, “As a young person interested in working in agriculture, deciding to work in red meat processing has been one of the best things I’ve decided to do with my life.”
“Since joining the industry, I have been able to buy my own home, study to develop my professional skills, and find a career in a field I am passionate about,” said Ms Ellison.
Employee Kalani Moss who works in innovation and customer services at the Casino Food Co-op in the Northern Rivers spoke about how there is a lot more to the industry than meets the eye.
Ms Moss said, “I wish people knew about the career options and opportunities involved in red meat processing. There are so many parts needed to deliver a final product.”
“It is fair to say that I would not be where I am now without the opportunities from red meat processing,” said Ms Moss.
Mollie Smith who works in sales at the Midfield Group spoke about the opportunities the industry has given her.
Ms Smith said, “As a young female in the industry, I have been given plenty of opportunities that not many other young people are given. I am proud of the fact that I am able to represent the company on a global stage.”
“My career started as a summer job as a way of making a bit of holiday money, but it quickly become something that I fell in love with,” Ms Smith said.
Learn more about what AMPC is doing to support processors in its More to Meat campaign, here: www.moretomeat.com.au
For more information
Contact Head of Communications and Media - Maria Stathis on 0428 694 801 or email m.stathis@ampc.com.au