Former SSF manager Sarah Hyland, left, with SSG chair Scott Williams and outgoing SSF board chair Lucinda Corrigan at the recent SSF report launch.

AUSTRALIA’S Sheep Sustainability Framework is looking for a new board leader to replace outgoing inaugural chair Lucinda Corrigan who concludes her term on 30 June 2023.

Expressions of interest for the chair position are being sought before a cut-off date of 7 July.

The SSF also recently lost its manager Sarah Hyland who took up a position as policy manager – sustainability and natural resource management with Grain Growers Limited, and interviews are being conducted to find her replacement.

The SSF is owned, developed, and led by industry through the peak national policy and advocacy bodies Sheep Producers Australia and WoolProducers Australia with a vision to sustainably produce the world’s best sheep meat and wool.

The framework is overseen by a board and led by an independent Sustainability Steering Group, supported by the sheep industry research and development corporations Australian Wool Innovation and Meat & Livestock Australia providing resources, including the secretariat.

SSG chair, Dr Scott Williams, paid tribute to Ms Corrigan’s ‘impactful and exemplary leadership’ during her four-year term.

“Lucinda has intelligently and capably guided this world-first Framework through its early years to the point where we have embedded it in the sheep meat and wool industry and are steadily increasing data on our sustainability credentials,” he said.

“It has been a complex and challenging process to identify suitable metrics to measure sustainability and ensure the buy-in of everyone across the meat and wool value chain, and Lucinda has provided thoughtful and considered guidance in achieving that.”

Ms Corrigan said she was proud of what the SSF board had achieved so far.

“A key purpose of the SSF is to bring transparency to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues that have been identified as material to our industry, no matter how challenging, to build trust with both our customers and our suppliers,” she said.

“We have achieved several ‘firsts’ – a sheep meat and wool Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Australian flock, the most comprehensive national on-farm animal husbandry survey, and the mapping nationally of vegetation changes across our sheep-grazing regions through the use of satellite imagery.

“The deep insights generated from these and other SSF projects represent an important milestone in better understanding the impacts on, and of, our 235-year-old industry, and I thank my fellow board members, SSG members and the leaders of Sheep Producers Australia and WoolProducers Australia for working with me to secure the sustainable future of this iconic industry.”

Interested applicants for the position of SSF board chair are required to provide a summary of no more than 750 words outlining their skills, knowledge, and experience and why they should be considered for the role.

Expressions of interest should be emailed to MLA Manager, Sustainability Frameworks and & Stakeholders, Edwina Clowes at [email protected] by COB Friday, 7 July 2023.

Please visit https://www.sheepsustainabilityframework.com.au/ for more information on the SSF.