In a time where Australian farmers are being challenged by adversity in every direction, a new e-commerce platform has been developed to bridge the gap between customer and farmer with a buy direct system.
The PDLmarketplace has been developed to provide lamb consumers with quality assured Prime Dorper Lamb directly from Australian farmers, with proceeds going directly to the farmer.
The advantages of an e-commerce system like this are twofold; Farmers get better returns by selling premium product directly to customers and customers get a better range of choice when buying lamb delivered directly to their homes.
Each PDLmarketplace delivery is traceable to a specific farm and production system. The trading platform allows consumers to select their lamb based on unique preferences including; ethical farming, sustainable farming, quality and flavour ratings based on previous customer reviews and farm location.
All Prime Dorper Lamb has to meet strict quality specifications about size, conditions and genetic background to be available for sale through the system.
When purchasing Prime Dorper Lamb through the PDLmarketplace customers can learn about the farms and meet the farmers behind their lamb selection, providing a new level of engagement between consumer and farmer.
The e-commerce platform, http://www.pdlmarketplace.com, is now live and welcoming customers to experience Prime Dorper Lamb.
PDLmarketplace Project Director, Joe Barnewall, believes that it is critical to develop a much closer customer-farmer relationship.
"Farmers have been the lifeblood of the Australian economy since the foundation of this country and this is a chance and give farmers the better returns they deserve. By revealing the people behind the food and educating customers about farming systems and animal welfare, we can strengthen the mutual respect and understanding between the two."
Tim Stevenson, President of the Dorper Sheep Society of Australia says supporting Australian farmers is important now more than ever.
"With the drought in Eastern Australia, any way for professional producers to become more efficient must be a great thing. Meat that is handled and transported less has a smaller environmental foot print. PDLmarketplace does this and more."
Tim also shared that the project, endorsed by the Dorper Sheep Society of Australia, is one of the first of it's kind. "The livestock industry in general has been left behind in its uptake of technology. This is the first for a breed society to partner with a commercial operator to provide benefits for the members by creating a unique process to sell their product directly to consumers. The DSSA is excited for and proud of the PDLmarketplace."
Prime Dorper Lamb Farmers like Donna Emmerton of Downs Dorper Lamb are excited by this new opportunity to sell their product. "I think I speak for the majority of Prime Dorper Lamb farmers when I say things have been really tough for the past five to ten years and having a potential system like this that could give us some stability and the prospect of a better outcome is really exciting."
The PDLmarketplace is a project operated by a Brisbane based team with support from The Dorper Sheep Society of Australia. The initial launch is for the South-East Queensland consumer market with expansion to Victoria in early 2020 leading up to Australia Day.
Customers can shop Prime Dorper Lamb from the PDLmarketplace from Tuesday 3 December by visiting http://www.pdlmarketplace.com.au. The Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pdlmarketplace/ and the Instagram handle is
