Harmonisation of supplier accreditation and auditing requirements for red meats

Problem There are at least 17 separate certification programs operating in the Australian beef industry alone, some of which are mandatory. Compliance with these requirements is costly and extremely disruptive to processing businesses. The frustration felt by industry is that there is a large amount of duplication of effort and overlap, whereby multiple audits are required that essentially cover the same specifications, language and metrics. Solution The intention of this project is to assess the feasibility of harmonising the labyrinth of compliance and accreditation requirements placed on the meat processing sector by its customers and various agencies. The goal of this project is to develop a harmonisation strategy that outlines how the meat processing sector could reduce the burden of excessive duplication in pre-competitive compliance and accreditation programs through a unified framework and the application of enabling technologies. Assuming a positive indication at the feasibility assessment stage of the project, the key output of this project would be a harmonisation strategy. Initially the project would cover beef and sheep meats, however the potential exists to cost effectively apply the findings to the pork and poultry industries and further leverage this investment. Impact The project outcomes would include reduced cost and increased efficiency for industry.