Market research conducted by Meat & Livestock Australia and unveiled by its new managing director Scott Hansen in Brisbane, reveals consumer and community sentiment has shifted little in the past year and remains rock-solid behind beef producers despite damaging hits to the industry’s reputation in recent months.
Mr Hansen, who was addressing the Queensland Rural Press Club’s traditional Ekka breakfast as part of the Royal Queensland Show, said the survey asked: how ethical and trustworthy do you believe Australian cattle producers to be?
“Across 2010, 65 percent said our producers are very or quite ethical and trustworthy. Over the first three weeks in June 2011, 70pc said the same. So our producers haven’t lost the community’s trust,” he said.
“We also asked, how positively or negatively do you feel towards beef? “In 2010, 57pc said very positive - in June 2011, 65pc said very positive. So beef hasn’t lost their trust.
“These figures reinforce a point that our US counterparts have long realised and capitalised on – the general community trusts producers, and that makes producers their own most powerful advocates in building and maintaining trust with the community.”
While the figures quoted by Mr Hansen suggest little erosion of public confidence in beef, he indicated MLA is about to embark on several new strategies to restore the trust producers have in their levyfunded organisation since revelations of animal cruelty in Indonesia were uncovered, intensifying public scrutiny of industry practices.
Top of the agenda, he said, was an independent review of MLA, aimed at forming the industry’s response to recent events and further attacks from animal activists determined to undermine the trade.
“I intend to ensure the findings from this review shape how we invest in helping and preparing producers to act as their own advocates, as well as using the outcomes to shape the future roles for MLA in crisis and issues management in the industry to assist in maintaining the trust of the community,” Mr Hansen said.
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