29 August 2025. Lloyd Hick, AgForce Cattle President.
With calls this week from green groups for supermarket chains to have access to our national traceability system - I want to reassure our members that AgForce resolutely stands against this or any proposal for broader access to producer data.
This comes after Coles announcing it's move to source deforestation-free beef by the end of the year, and wanting access to the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) information to verify how beef is sourced.
I have some thoughts on this.
My reply to anybody inquiring about the NLIS database, is that it's a big no from our industry to anyone outside of the beef industry having access to it.
This includes all environmental and green lobby groups. It would be criminal to allow those that are lobbying against our industry to have the very thing that our industry hangs its hat on, which is the best livestock identification system in the world.
If Coles want trace back on beef that they've purchased, they can obtain that from their suppliers. Coles can work within their supply chain to meet their own self-imposed deforestation requirements - they've brought this on themselves.
Coles do not need access to everybody's database or transactions. They are able to get what they need already without having to see everybody else's movements. I think it's extremely important that we don't compromise the great system that we have in place.
The NLIS is industry owned, and we're leading the world in this technology. There's just absolutely no need for anyone else to have access to what we've developed.
We'd also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Woolworths in its decision to listen to producers on the actual true story of producer land management, to look at the broader picture of the landscape and reduced own-risk for Australian beef.
Queensland beef producers already operate under strict vegetation laws where non-compliance is punished. In addition to that, the land management of producers can be considered wholly positive towards both environmental and food security values.
There are enough laws already controlling what we do. Nothing additional needs be created for more burdensome compliance.
No-one outside of industry should have access to NLIS. In no way shape or form should Coles or anyone else need that industry data. It would compromise the NLIS system and risk our status with international trading partners.
