Key industry issues canvassed at first SSF Industry Forum

The first Sheep Sustainability Framework Industry Forum.

Leading voices from the sheepmeat and wool value chains held a wide-ranging discussion on challenges and opportunities facing the sector at the Sheep Sustainability Framework’s first Industry Forum held in Sydney in March.

More than 40 internal stakeholders were in attendance, including representatives from Sheep Producers Australia, WoolProducers Australia, Australian Wool Innovation, Meat & Livestock Australia, LiveCorp, Animal Health Australia, NSW Farmers, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and other agricultural frameworks.

It provided an opportunity to be deeply immersed in the analysis of the issues that underpin the Sheep Sustainability Framework (SSF), with conversation canvassing current and emerging sustainability topics, the commercial value of the SSF, and understanding the relative importance of specific measures and indicators of sustainability.

Dr Robyn Leeson, a sustainability strategy and reporting expert from STR Consulting, led a session in which participants contemplated the impact of the Australian sheepmeat and wool industry on both people and the environment, in addition to the evaluation of the risks and opportunities to the industry.

The session also included an open discussion aimed at identifying, discussing, and addressing challenging issues that often find themselves in the “hard basket”.

Chair of the SSF Steering Group, Dr Scott Williams, emphasised the significance of the Industry Forum in shaping the future of the Framework.

“The discussion provided industry with a valuable opportunity to better understand the SSF and what it offers in an ‘in-house’ setting,” Dr Williams said.

“It also allows industry to shape the Framework, as we revisit the materiality matrix upon which the entire SSF rests.

“It is critical the industry understands, owns and has input into the Framework, as we want our customers, consumers and other stakeholders, such as advocacy groups, to accept its credibility and use it as a trusted scorecard of our industry’s sustainability credentials.”