PREMIUM lamb and beef processor Argyle Foods Group is utilising the integration of livestock enterprise management platform AgriWebb with blockchain-based track-and-trace provider KPMG Origins to focus on new markets and value-adding opportunities.

The group is the first AgriWebb customer to tap into the new integration developed to enable farmers to seamlessly share their on-farm livestock data across their supply chains.

Argyle co-chief executive officer Lachlan Graham said the company uses KPMG Origins to focus on verification programs that enable access to new markets to achieve premium returns.

“As a large-scale, vertically integrated operation, with thousands of overseas export partners, it’s vital that we can back up the claims we make.”

He said by connecting AgriWebb-generated records on individual animal treatments, location and genetics to the KPMG Origins platform, the company is able to validate product claims and underpin the premium quality status of its products.

Argyle Foods Group also wanted to use the platform to improve finance and working capital audit requirements.

“It is beneficial for regulatory reporting, but also in terms of growth capital and profitability,” Mr Graham said.

He said KPMG Origins is also focussed on carbon credits, their monetisation and verification, and the full physicality of trading those credits.

“They are working on that side of their platform and we are well advanced in that space.

“It will be a market that will come under huge scrutiny in coming years,” he said.

Mr Graham said Argyle intended to put some credits into its supply chain to become carbon neutral and monetise them, and KPMG Origins would help the company make this “seamless and untouchable”.

“In essence we should be able to crystallise the highest return for those credits.”

AgriWebb said its “world-first” integration with KPMG Origins would enable customers to quickly and securely share their farm’s data with external partners such as retailers, banks and financiers at a time when traceability of red meat is becoming increasingly important and international buyers are increasingly requesting more information to validate claims about products, processing methods and provenance.

The power of KPMG Origins is the ability for farmers to receive additional value from supply chain partners such as financiers, insurance providers and buyers in return for sharing digital livestock records, data and certifications, AgriWebb said.

Market demand for traceability increasing

AgriWebb co-founder and chief revenue officer John Fargher said market demand for traceability and transparency pressures are coming thick and fast, but it was important to have a carrot and stick approach.

“We don’t want to look at it with just a stick approach with compliant pressures coming on us, we need to do additional work in the background.

“The key piece is by doing all these activities and recording critical pieces of information and using data to run a more productive business, will set that business up for success in terms of productivity, sustainability and profitability.”

He said the ‘stick’ of compliance is coming and transparency is not just about provenance from a consumer’s perspective.

“That’s just a small a part of the bigger picture here – the bigger picture is around the broader sustainability measures, carbon impact, animal welfare and how can our production systems be more productive to feed the world.

“Sure there are some challenges coming down, but we need to seize those opportunities as well.”

Mr Fargher said said AgriWebb has always had a very strong stance that “the farmer owns the data, it’s their information, theirs to do what they wish with.”

“We have been really clear and upfront and active in getting that message out.

“It is really clear in our user agreement that the farmers owns their information, we do not share it any third party unless they give that consent to do so,” he said.

“That’s really critical to build that trust and build that integrity and I would argue if we didn’t do that from day one we wouldn’t have 8000 users today using our platform.

“The critical thing is we need to drive collaboration and if a farmer is going to share that information they need to get value back,” he said.

“They need to that return and value coming back there are now lots of ways of doing that and this is just one example, with KPMG Origin program, where now there is a premium that can be paid back to the farmer if they are willing to share their information, because the market is willing to pay a premium.”

Mr Fargher said what is being seen now is that all the best-in-class participants from a technology perspective take the same view.

“The farmer owns the data and we need to value add that.

“Those players who are not willing to take that route, they just won’t be successful, they won’t get that adopting.”

Mr Fargher said AgriWebb’s focus has been on getting its enterpriser management software in the hand of as many farmers as possible, but it is now turning to linking supply and value chains.

“We’ve always had a vision of how can we now add more value to those farms and add value to the supply chain through the use of their data.”

He said the key was to be able to deliver a farm’s information in a safe secure way, leaving the power in a farmer’s hands to determine “what they want to share, when they want to share it and who they want to share it with.”

“Then it is working with the best-in-class partners, KPMG Origin being one of them, that can really bring that trust and value to the market, but also do it at scale, that’s critical as well.”

KPMG Australia partner and head of blockchain services Asia-Pacific Laszlo Peter said it is incredibly exciting to be able to offer producers a seamless platform to exchange livestock digital records with their supply chain partners like banks or industry bodies.

“With the click of a button via KPMG Origins integration, producers using the AgriWebb software can now provide increased visibility of on-farm practices and livestock information, while at the same time ensuring they remain in control of their data permissioning and their data visibility.”