WOOLWORTHS Group board member Holly Kramer will be the keynote speaker at Meat & Livestock Australia’s major annual Updates 2023 event being staged next month in Bendigo, Victoria.

The day includes briefings from senior MLA personnel on international and domestic red meat markets, market access and R&D progress, in addition to the industry service delivery company’s annual general meeting.

To be held at Bendigo Showgrounds on Thursday, 23 November, MLA Updates will also feature displays and demonstrations bringing farmers – and everyone along the red meat supply chain – up to speed on MLA’s investments in research, development and marketing.

Registrations are now open for producers to attend. The gathering is free for MLA stakeholders.

This year’s theme centres around ‘Sustainability from paddock to plate’, with a focus throughout the day on solutions and technology that embrace sustainability and set producers up for success.

Holly Kramer

Ms Kramer will address the event with a discussion about the increasing interest of corporates in sustainability throughout the supply chain, not only here in Australia, but also in major export markets for Australian red meat.

She has sat on the Woolworths board since 2016, chairing the board’s sustainability committee, and also sits as a director on the boards of ANZ Bank, Fonterra Group, and NBryo, an unlisted agri-tech start up business based in Queensland. She is also a cattle producer in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

Questions from stakeholders in the audience will inevitably arise over Woolworths’ (and major competitor Coles) retail red meat pricing strategies, in a year when both lamb and beef cattle prices have plummeted by 50pc or more.

In a following panel session, Lambpro’s Tom Bull, Western Plains Beef’s Iain Bruce and MLA managing director Jason Strong will discuss practical solutions for producers to be successful through embracing sustainability.

Tom Bull addressing this year’s ICMJ conference in Wagga

MLA Updates 2023 will also include plenary sessions throughout the day, featuring a presentation from Jason Strong along with updates from MLA marketing and insights team members, Meat Standards Australia, and presentations from MLA’s Corporate Chef and Retail and Corporate Butcher.

There will also be a range of showcases and livestock practical demonstrations from MLA’s Research & Development, Adoption, Marketing, and Integrity Systems Company teams.

Agriculture Victoria and peak industry councils will also be participating in the showcase and presentations to provide information to participants on the range of services available to industry stakeholders.

MLA’s annual General Meeting will also take place at this event from 3:30pm and MLA Updates will conclude with a sundowner event.

The deadline for MLA members to access full voting entitlements for the AGM has now passed.

To register to attend Updates 2023, click here.