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The Australian Poultry Science Symposium 2021 is going ahead
Paltry returns for poultry meat farmers
NSW Farmers is concerned for con- tract poultry farmers who are struggling to operate in an increas- ingly consolidated market, with many being forced from the industry.
competition restricting the ability of farmers to negotiate their con- tract terms.
meat industry and has confirmed it will con- duct an initial review of the sector.
NSW Farmers presi- dent James Jackson said most Australians would not be aware of the competition issues plaguing the poultry meat industry and that contract growers, in- cluding our chicken, turkey and duck farm- ers, need greater sup- port.
“Though the market for chicken is national, the market for growing services is geographi- cally fixed.
This review, though a positive step, will not compel stakeholders to provide information nor government to act on recommendations.
“Most Aussies know about the issues in the dairy sector with $1 a litre milk, but not too many know about what’s happening in poultry,” he said.
The situation has weakened the bargain- ing power of farmers, restricting their capac- ity to negotiate fair contract terms.
“This will clearly show the state of the industry and better highlight avenues of reform to support fair and effective competi- tion.
“Chicken is by far the most affordable meat on supermarket shelves, making it a popular protein choice for consumers.
“Worse still, many growers have been left with stranded as- sets and no ability to contract to a different processor,” Mr Jackson said.
“Similar to the dairy industry, we believe there is a need for a mandatory code to en- sure contracts are fair and enable a sustain- able supply chain into the future.
“Australians now eat over 47kg per person of chicken per year, but poultry meat farmers are getting paltry re- turns.
“The lack of competi- tion in our supply chain has unfairly disadvan- taged our farmers.
“A treasury-led in- quiry will demonstrate this need.”
“Over the past dec- ade, we’ve seen the closure of multiple chicken processing plants in NSW and this has left growers with virtually no choice in who to contract to in their region.”
“NSW Farmers is calling for a Treasury- directed ACCC in- quiry into the poultry meat industry, which is more thorough than a market study,” Mr Jackson said.
“There are problems at retail with the price of chicken being kept artificially low, and problems at the proces- sor stage, with limited
“The poultry meat industry does not re- flect normal market conditions, and we are supportive of inves- tigations being made into the industry.”
The ACCC is aware of potential competi- tion and unfair trading issues in the chicken
THE Poultry Research Foundation, in conjunc- tion with World Poul- try Science Association Australian Branch, cor- dially invite you to the 32nd Australian Poultry Science Symposium at University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus on Tuesday, February 9 to Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
In these unprecedented times, it was vital that international attendees could still participate in this world-renowned event, so by using one of the most cutting-edge conference platforms, the event will open globally, and potentially to an even larger audience than ever before.
the University of Sydney Campus.
continue to feature an ar- ray of excellent speakers, as well provide delegates with opportunities to net- work and communicate by offering a lively social program for both physical and virtual attendees.
The Australian Poultry Science Symposium is the premier avian science conference in Australia, attracting delegates from across the country and around the world.
It is predicted there will be a decrease in physical attendees, and so the deci- sion was made to move the actual event back to
However, organisers are optimistic that the virtual event will help increase the exposure of the con- ference and put it in a positive position for many years to come.
Online paper sub- missions will open on Wednesday, July 1, 2020.
Though held at the Sher- aton in Sydney’s CBD for the past four years, which was very successful, it was not feasible for 2021 as numbers will obviously be impacted.
Save the dates – Tuesday, February 9 to Wednesday, February 10, 2021 – and start writing your papers.
As always APSS will
For more information, visit apss2021.com.au
The conference will fo- cus on the over-arching theme of ‘social license for production of poultry’ and will be presented as a hybrid event, meaning there will be a physical event in Sydney as well as streaming live online so that delegates can attend from their workplace or home.
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National Poultry Newspaper, July 2020 – Page 5