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Page 2 %u2013 National Poultry Newspaper, January 2025 www.poultrynews.com.auNATIONAL %u00a9 Collins Media Pty Ltd %u2013 Contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. It is the responsibility of advertisers to ensure the correctness of their claims and statements. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.07 3286 1833poultrynews.com.auPoultry IndustryCalendar of EventsHow to supply event details: Send all details to National Poultry Newspaper, PO Box 162, Wynnum Qld 4178, call 07 3286 1833 or email ads@collins.media2025JAN 28-30 %u2013 IPPE 2025, Atlanta Georgia, USA. www.ippexpo.orgFEB 10-12 %u2013 Australian Poultry Science Symposium, Sydney, Australia. www.apss2025.com.auFEB 18-19 %u2013 Australasian Veterinary Poultry Association Scientific Meeting, Wagga Wagga, NSW. www.avpa.asn.au/eventsMAR 5 %u2013 2025 NSW Poultry Industry Golf Day, Lakeside Golf Club Camden, NSW. Email: david.sherwood@ewnutrition.comMAR 12-14 %u2013 VIV Asia, Bangkok, Thailand. www.vivasia.nl/APR 7-9 %u2013 Western Poultry Disease Conference, Calgary, Canada. www.wpdcfoundation.org/wpdc-2025APR 7-9 %u2013 2025 International Poultry Council Annual Meeting, Casablanca, Morocca. internationalpoultrycouncil.orgJUN 23-26 %u2013 24th European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition, Maastricht, Netherlands. www.espn2025.euJUN 24-26 %u2013 11th International Symposium on Avian Influenza, Newfoundland, Canada. harlowagency.swoogo.com/isai2025/6355095SEP 14-17 %u2013 20th European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products and the 26th European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat, Zadar, Croatia. eggmeat2025.comEmail editorial@collins.media or call 07 3286 1833Want us to cover your event?Get noticed by key poultry industry members! NATIONALOVER the past year, the Australian chicken meat industry has navigated the challenges presented by several high pathogenicity avian influenza outbreaks across states. Despite this, our industry has shown exceptional resilience and proactive engagement in our key strategic areas of biosecurity, sustainability, animal welfare, workforce development, food safety and security, and research and development. We are proud to present the significant achievements of our industry over the past year and to outline our priorities as we look to the year ahead. BiosecurityOver the past 12 months, ACMF played a pivotal role in managing the outbreaks of HPAI in Canberra, NSW and Victoria. Under the leadership of ACMF chief executive officer Dr Mary Wu, the federation has significantly contributed to the Consultative Committee for Emergency Animal Disease. As the industry liaison, ACMF had the capacity to assist in coordinating the cross-jurisdictional disease response, while also promoting proactive measures to eliminate the virus in order to minimise its impact on the supply chain. Amid the concentrated focus on response efforts, ACMF also held a National Avian Influenza Summit, gathering key stakeholders from egg and poultry meat supply chains as well as government officials and researchers. The summit focused on core issues related to H5N1 preparedness and was an opportunity for a range of biosecurity stakeholders to discuss priority actions moving forward.We are pleased to report that through sustained campaigning and advocacy by our industry, along with other commodity groups, we have successfully petitioned the Federal Government to invest in H5N1 preparedness, with a particular focus on wild bird surveillance. With a total investment commitment of over $100 million dollars by the Federal Government, we anticipate stronger national biosecurity arrangements to support preparedness operations and protect our agricultural sector and wildlife ecosystems. ACMF has also been actively involved with Animal Health Australia, contributing to the variations and amendments of Animal Health Australia%u2019s Ausvetplan. As a writing group member for the destruction manual, disposal manual and avian influenza manual, ACMF has provided critical feedback to ensure industry%u2019s interests are well-represented in national biosecurity policies. This input is vital for refining the plan to better address industry challenges during disease outbreaks. We anticipate these collective efforts will support our preparedness and response capacity in the years ahead, as we face the increasingly likely scenario of H5N1 reaching Australian shores. Laying the groundwork for a timely and effective biosecurity system capable of meeting emerging EAD challenges will continue to be a core priority for our industry and we are eager to continue this work into 2025. SustainabilityDespite the HPAI challenges industry faced throughout the course of 2024, we have demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability and climate adaptation through several key initiatives. In August, ACMF and AgriFutures Australia proudly launched the sector%u2019s first Australian chicken meat industry sustainability framework at Parliament House. This groundbreaking framework, the first of its kind globally, sets clear and measurable sustainability metrics and targets for the chicken meat sector. The event, attended by over 150 producers, growers, politicians and supply chain participants, featured a chicken-based canap%u00e9 menu curated by chef Manu Fieldel and a series of short speeches on the Australian chicken meat industry%u2019s journey in becoming the most consumed and smallest environmental footprint meat protein in Australia. Again, we would like to thank our working group members and our friends at Parliament House for supporting such a successful event and the development of the framework itself. ACMF also responded to the Productivity Commission%u2019s call for submissions on circular economy opportunities, emphasising the importance of rendering systems and biogas facilities in reducing landfill waste. We also actively participated in the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee%u2019s Integrity Committee Stakeholder Roundtable for monogastric livestock, facilitating discussions on carbon reduction without compromising productivity. Our industry%u2019s sustainability framework was showcased at the Australian Renderers Association symposium and discussed at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action%u2019s climate adaptation workshop, to communicate our industry%u2019s ongoing commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, ACMF engaged with Environment Protection Authority Victoria on new legislation regarding agricultural digestates usage, supporting wasteto-energy applications. Economic circularity is a topic that all levels of government are very much engaged in, and we are eager to collaborate with governments and researchers to explore further opportunities our sector. We are extremely grateful that we had so many opportunities to engage with government and other industry stakeholders on the topic of sustainability and spearhead such initiatives, despite the challenges we faced with HPAI over the course of the year. Animal welfareThis year, our policy team provided detailed feedback on the proposed reforms to both Victoria and South Australia%u2019s animal welfare laws. Our submissions discussed the poultry industry%u2019s commitment to upholding high standards of animal care and protection, often exceeding regulatory requirements. We emphasised the importance of operationally viable and evidence-based legislative changes to support the growth and innovation of industry. From initial consultation feedback, we were pleased to see South Australia choosing to adopt some of our core recommendations surrounding the composition of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and the powers of the minister under this proposed legislation. While the outcomes of our engagement with the Victorian Government on its animal welfare reforms will not be known for a few more months, we assure industry that we will continue to engage with policymakers to support a fit-forpurpose animal welfare system in Victoria. In addition to focusing on major state-based reforms, we also had the opportunity to support the implementation of the poultry welfare standards and guidelines in Western Australia, the first state to incorporate these national standards into legislation. As states progress with the implementation of these standards, our priority remains achieving national consistency and harmonisation, ensuring that animal welfare is upheld while safeguarding the broader interests of industry and the community. ACMF has also supported these efforts through providing feedback to the animal welfare standards and guidelines for livestock processing, to ensure the basis for its inclusion in state-based legislation is infallible. We will continue these efforts into 2025. We also had the opportunity to respond to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries%u2019 call for submissions on the renewed Australian Animal Welfare Strategy. Our submission discussed the need for robust industry stakeholder input and a commitment to a science-based approach to welfare.Additionally, ACMF provided feedback via a stakeholder workshop on developing a national statement on animal welfare to support the strategy%u2019s direction. We had the opportunity to again relay the importance of underpinning this strategy with an acknowledgment of intensive livestock farming as a legitimate agricultural practice fundamental to our national food security and economy. We also attended targeted engagement Australian Chicken Meat Federation year in reviewACMF%u2019s Dr Mary Wu with Agriculture Minister Julie Collins and chef Manu Fieldel.Deputy CEO Verity Price attended the Chicken Meat Consortium at UQ.* continued P4