Australian cattle producers want to see exactly how their levy money is spent before the rate of the Cattle Transaction Levy is changed, according to a summary of consultation feedback released by the committee reviewing the levy.

The Cattle Transaction Levy Review Committee recorded more than 1,000 responses and attendances across producer surveys, regional face-to-face meetings held through July and August, and written submissions. Cattle Australia set out the findings in a media release on Friday afternoon.

Transparency and accountability for what the levy delivers was the most consistent theme at every session. Producers broadly agreed that the $5 levy had built lasting capability and infrastructure, kept the industry competitive in a changing global market and drawn in extra money for research, development and marketing — but they overwhelmingly asked for an investment programme that shows the value returned on every dollar.

Pre-emptive biosecurity spending emerged as the clear shared priority for expanded investment, alongside support for funding the National Residue Survey and dedicated money for integrity systems. There was strong support for a transparent mechanism allowing limited, defined movements of money between levy streams, and for a review cycle of no more than ten years with a five-year mid-term check; a full review of the levy system is proposed no later than the end of 2030.

Levy payers also asked for a stronger focus on producers' capacity to engage in industry processes and with the wider community, and said Cattle Australia, the body that represents them, should be properly resourced and open about how that money is used.

"Cattle producers around the country were clear and consistent: they want to see greater accountability for how their levies are being invested," said Cattle Australia chief executive Will Evans. He said 72% of respondents wanted the levy recipient bodies to keep most current investments while weighing new priorities, and that "twenty years without a review is a long time".

The committee is working through the findings and expects to publish its recommendations early next month, likely as a sequence of steps to update the levy system in stages. The release was carried by Beef Central.

Photo: Bidgee / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Source: Beef Central