AASF Community of Practice Online Webinar

Registrations are now open for our next Community of Practice Webinar. We are excited to come together again for the AASF Community of Practice Online Forum, Monday 17 June 2024. This event is online only and provides the latest updates on AASF activities, findings from the AASF materiality assessment, and progress on the National Agriculture Traceability Grants Program – Sustainability Reporting Uplift Grants.

Register
Full agenda

Project Speakers

Airong Zhang, CSIRO

Developing an interactive tool to assist the participation and implementation of traceability system

The National Agricultural Traceability Strategy 2023 to 2033 aims to strengthen Australia’s biosecurity systems and support agricultural products and value-adding benefits domestically and internationally. However, the implementation of the Strategy relies on producers’ active participation and uptake. While agribusinesses are beginning to understand the merits of traceability, there remains a slow uptake and a lack of understanding of the necessary changes to management practices that enable the adoption of these technologies.


To assist the implementation of traceability system, this project aims to identify the key supporting pillars for traceability adoption by producers and an accompanying assessment tool. The assessment tool will serve a diagnostic, monitoring, and evaluation function for the implementation of traceability systems. At producer level, the assessment will help producers understand their current state of readiness, with relevant information about traceability being provided for educational purpose. At government and industry level, the assessment will assist government and agriculture sectors to identify areas of strength and weakness and develop and evaluate strategies in implementing traceability system.

Marguerite Renouf, Lifecycles

Australian National Life Cycle Inventory Database (AusLCI) – equipping Australian agriculture with sustainability metrics

“Equipping Australian agriculture with LCA-based sustainability metrics” is a joint project by AgriFutures Australia and Lifecycles to strengthen the life cycle inventory (LCI) data available to the agri-food sector for reporting sustainability metrics.

The project will update and extend agricultural LCI data in the Australian Life Cycle Inventory (AusLCI) database to improve the agriculture sector’s access to data needed to respond to requests for greenhouse gas emissions and sustainability reporting.

An important new development will be to ensure that the database is interoperable with the growing range of end uses for sustainability metrics in agri-food supply chains. Therefore a focus of the project is on understanding data flow pathways and aligning the updated data for in-business uses.

The two-year project will:

─ update existing on-farm data in AusLCI (broadacre crops, sugarcane, beef, sheep, and horticulture), to reflect current practices, updated emission factors, and requirements of reporting schemes,

─ add new on-farm data for priority agricultural commodities currently underrepresented in AusLCI (rice, meat chickens, diary, pork, export hay),

─ add new post-farm processing data,

─ identify in-business and supply chain systems that can use sustainability metrics and define the interfaces and data flow pathways need to enable use of AusLCI data.

The outcome will be easier access to LCI data for agriculture and agri-food businesses to communicate their progress toward sustainability goals more effectively with customers, consumers and stakeholders.

Back to the newsroom

or you might like

AASF Stage 1 Final Report 2020 – 2023

This Report synthesises the work completed under Stage 1 of the development of the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF) during the period of 2020 – 2023. The purpose of the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF) is to communicate at the national level the sustainability status and goals of Australian agriculture to markets and the community. 

Read More
15/11/2023


The Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework is funded by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry through the National Agriculture Traceability Grants Program. Project delivery is led by the National Farmers’ Federation. 

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

© The Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework. Copyright of National Farmers Federation.

sign up for updates or get in touch!

Andrew Skinner

Director

More Than Machines

Andrew is an accomplished technology leader with over 25 years experience delivering cutting-edge solutions across diverse industries, including media, utilities, defence, manufacturing, health, and agrifood.  He possesses extensive expertise in international agri-food technology ecosystems, and is a trusted advisor to industry organisations, supply chain entities, researchers, startups, and governments. Andrew founded the technology consultancy More Than Machines, where he assists agrifood organisations, startups, researchers, and governments in developing digital strategies, policies and technology solutions that leverage data and AI to optimise their land, production, markets, and products.  Previously, as Chief Data Officer at Meat and Livestock Australia, he developed and implemented the Australian Red Meat industry data strategy and digital supply chain research programs, demonstrably increasing productivity, product quality, and enabling new market opportunities through targeted digital technology implementation. 

Linkedin Link

Anna Hooper

Director, Economic & Environmental Policy

Australian Grape & Wine Inc.

Anna is a wine industry professional since the late 90’s, working in vineyard management and winemaking both in Australia and overseas, and later as General Manager of a premium, sustainability focused, wine producer in South Australia. She has been a non-executive director on private and government boards in the fields of biosecurity, natural resource management and grape and wine business and currently sits on the board of Landcare Australia. Immediately prior to the formation of Australian Grape and Wine she gained experience in national advocacy as Chief Executive Officer of Australian Vignerons. Having worked across a broad range of roles, including practical hands-on industry experience, she is well placed in her role to promote the best interests of the sector on domestic policy issues relating to environmental and economic sustainability. She is leading the project on carbon emissions traceability that is the focus of the presentation. 

Linkedin Link

Dr. Melindee Hastie

Research Fellow (Meat, Food & Sensory Science)

Agriculture Victoria

Melindee is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystems Science, where she focusses on the consumer defined opportunity for sustainable food production. Melindee has over 20 years’ experience in R&D leadership for academia and international FMCGs such as Cadbury, Kraft, and Mondelez. 

Linkedin Link

Warwick Ragg

General Manager NRM

National Farmers Federation

Warwick was raised on a farm in the NSW Southern Highlands and has almost 30 years experience in rural and regional advocacy. Prior to joining NFF Warwick had been working in the Commonwealth Government in stakeholder engagement roles and had previously spent a decade with NSW Farmers’ Association and a further decade as chief executive of Australian Forest Growers.

Linkedin Link

Adam Fennessy PSM

Secretary

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry

Adam has over 25 years of public sector experience at state and federal levels. His former roles have included Secretary of the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Secretary of the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, the Victorian Public Sector Commissioner and Dean & CEO of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). Adam has worked in the private sector as a partner with global advisory firm Ernst & Young.

Adam is an IPAA National Fellow and previously served on the board of IPAA Victoria. In 2018, he received a Public Service Medal (PSM) for leadership in the Victorian public sector.

Linkedin Link

Neil McSkimming

Senior Policy Officer, Export Development

Agriculture Victoria

Neil is a Senior Policy Officer providing advice on international market access, trade and capability building to grow the state’s agricultural industry. 

His career has a balance of government and private industry experience including eight years at Coles Supermarkets where he was Responsible Sourcing Manager transforming the animal welfare and sustainable production credentials for its own brand products. 

Linkedin Link

David Jochinke

President

National Farmers Federation

David, commonly referred to as ‘DJ’, is a third generation dryland mixed farmer. DJ operates his family’s property at Murra Warra in the Wimmera, Victoria, producing various broadacre crops and finishing prime lambs. He has been heavily involved at all levels of farmer advocacy since finishing his Diploma of Applied Science (Ag Services) at Longerenong College. DJ was elected as President of the National Farmers’ Federation in October 2023 after serving as Vice President and Director for numerous years.

DJ is a past recipient of a Nuffield Australia Scholarship and Australian Rural Leadership Program and is an active contributor to his local community.

Linkedin Link