THE future of peak beef producer body Cattle Council of Australia is in the hands of the Federal Government.
And while the council is not publicly outlining such a scenario, privately it knows securing the approval of Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig to access a small portion of the mandatory transaction levy is not going to be easy.
Last week, council executive director David Inall, who addressed the VFF Livestock annual meeting at Bendigo, was upbeat about the proposals.
These proposals included opening up the council board to four independent directors and accessing a portion of the $3.66 a head marketing component of the transaction levy.
Mr Inall said the proposals also included an opt-out clause allowing those producers who were opposed to their levies funding CCA to declare their levies be spent solely on Meat and Livestock Australia's marketing programs.
CCA has not declared what rate or how much funding it wants to secure from the levy.
Last week, the council appealed to beef producers to become involved in developing this plan, to be known as Beef 2015.
It will be using its website - cattlecouncil.com.au - to generate discussion around seven key discussion points.
The first of those discussion points is marketing.
CCA wants to develop a strategic plan similar to that of the Sheepmeat Council's which includes targets for production, quality, consumers (marketing), environment, animal health and animal welfare.
For instance, on animal health the SISP specifies reducing lamb and sheep mortality rates by 20 per cent by 2015, while on marketing it wants domestic expenditure on sheepmeat to $300 by 2015.
Mr Inall said the strategic plan for grass-fed beef producers would be finalised at national workshop mid-year.
He said the council was proposing to fund its operations in four revenue streams.
Last year, the council had a budget of $1.2 million including $230,000 from state affiliates, $540,000 from the Red Meat Advisory Council and $550,000 from sponsorships and government consultation.
Access to the marketing levy would be the fourth stream.
Council president Andrew Ogilvie has said that with its current funding the council was unsustainable if producers wanted the council to take up animal welfare and market access issues.
