Australia's grassfed cattle transaction levy could rise from $5 to $6 a head by 1 July 2028 under a resolution to be put to levy payers at Meat & Livestock Australia's annual general meeting in Townsville on 24 November, Beef Central reported. The increase is conditional on a set of reforms being introduced in full by 1 July 2027.
The resolution follows the first review of the levy in two decades, run by a Cattle Australia committee, which gathered the views of more than 1,000 levy payers through 34 meetings and a national survey. Producers overwhelmingly asked for more accountability and transparency over what the levy delivers.
The extra money would go to industry representation, strategic biosecurity, the National Residue Survey and integrity systems. The committee recommends making the Integrity Systems Company, which runs schemes such as LPA and NLIS, a stand-alone body separate from MLA with a majority independent board and at least 84 cents a head of dedicated funding. Fixed minimums would rise for marketing (from $3.66 to $4.35 a transaction), research and development (from 92 cents to $1.12) and the National Residue Survey (from 29 to 40 cents, about $1.2 million a year more), with at least 60 cents set aside for representation, education and promotion of production systems.
The real value of the $5 levy has fallen about 42% since it was set in 2006, the report says; a rise to $8.50 to restore its buying power was considered but rejected because no clear benefit to levy payers could be shown. A $1 increase would raise about $13 million a year. The committee took no position on switching to a percentage-based levy, leaving that to a structural review in 2030.
"There is a case for an increase, but accountability has to come first," said Cattle Australia chief executive Will Evans.
Photo: CSIRO / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Source: Beef Central
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