The Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC) is the peak body that represents the collective interests of the Australian red meat industry. RMAC is responsible for the development of the red meat industry’s strategic plan (Red Meat 2030), which provides the overarching strategic framework that enables the direction, measurement and reporting of overall industry progress to government and industry stakeholders. Levy payers and the wider industry were consulted by RMAC during the development of Red Meat 2030.

Decisions on levy investments, across all levy streams, are never made in isolation and MLA consults regularly with the PIBs on strategy, budget allocations and key performance indicators. PIBs provide MLA with advice on strategic direction for a wide range of programs including marketing, research and development.

Regular consultation is a priority for MLA. The red meat industry Memorandum of Understanding specifies MLA’s responsibility to develop a five-year business plan and an Annual Investment Plan in consultation with the PIBs.

Livestock producers influence the investment of their levies through several industry consultation mechanisms and can do so through their state farming organisation or PIB, or their regional advisory council: Southern Australia Livestock Research Council (SALRC), North Australia Beef Research Council (NABRC), Western Australian Livestock Research Council (WALRC). The Peak Industry Body Engagement Framework and Quarterly Consultation Updates with PIBs, LiveCorp and Australian Meat Processor Corporation are both mechanisms where industry informs MLA on the priorities of each sector.

Examples of where consultation occurred in 2025–26 include:

Planning and whole-of-red-meat-industry priority areas

• Red Meat 2030
• MLA Strategic Plan 2030
• MLA Annual Investment Plan
• Australian Beef Industry Sustainability Framework and Sheep Sustainability Framework.

Research and development

• Regional consultation model that sits under the Red Meat Panel through SALRC, WALRC and NABRC
• Sheep and beef forecasting committees
• Sheep Genetics and BREEDPLAN Advisory Committee
• Supply Chain Taskforce
• MSA Beef and Sheepmeat Research and Development Pathways Committee
• Producer Adoption Reference Group
• Live Export Research & Development Advisory Committee
• Industry Calibration Working Group
• National Livestock Genetics Consortium Taskforce.

Marketing

• Region-specific global marketing and market access strategies that fit under the International Markets strategy and align to MLA’s Strategic Plan include beef, sheepmeat and goatmeat across Australia, Japan, Korea, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Greater China and South East Asia.
• The Marketing and Communications Taskforce, comprising of PIBs and commercial industry leaders, receives regular updates and provides insights on changes in the operating environment, trade priorities, and MLA investments across international marketing, domestic marketing and community communications.

Industry engagement events

• MLA runs and participates in numerous industry engagement activities each year. Examples in 2025–26 include BeefUp and MeatUp forums, MLA’s Annual General Meeting and Updates program, cattle projections and sheep projections meetings, Northern Pastoral Group meetings, Livestock Advisor Updates, Northern Territory Cattleman’s Association Conference, Northern Beef Research Update Conference and a range of regional forums.
• MLA staff also attend a range of industry-led events throughout the year to speak and engage with producers and industry.