MLA's COVID-19 statement

Meat & Livestock Australia is taking considered action to support global containment efforts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our people, their families, our stakeholders, visitors and contractors.

MLA has implemented preventative measures that comply with government guidelines and taken additional steps to prepare and adapt to a changing work environment. These measures seek to mitigate the spread of the virus to ensure the safety of our communities, particularly the elderly and immunocompromised,

1. Business travel
   • In line with the Australian Government restrictions, all domestic and international travel for business is prohibited until further notice.
2. Personal travel (non-business related)
   • The Australian Government has now advised international travel is prohibited until further notice. Domestic travel in Australia is subject to state border restrictions and is only for essential purposes.
3. Self-isolation
   • The Australian Government advises that anyone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19 must self-isolate and follow the guidance of health authorities. Suspected cases of COVID-19, including anyone who has travelled internationally or has come into direct contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, must also isolate themselves and should monitor their health for 14 days from the date of entry or contact.
4. Office closure and business operations
   • MLA offices in China, South Korea, Sydney, Brisbane, Armidale, London and Dubai have re-opened and are available to employees as an optional workspace. MLA is ensuring that offices are set up to ensure the health and safety of employees through social distancing measures, the availability of products to support good hygiene practices and increased cleaning and sanitising of each office. Employees are welcome to continue working from home if they prefer to do so.
   • MLA offices in Singapore, Japan, USA and Indonesia are currently closed. This means that all employees in these locations are working from home.
   • From 18 May, MLA's Livestock Market Officers who collect livestock data across Australia's saleyards have the option to return to saleyards to complete market reporting.
   • The Integrity Systems Company (ISC) Helpdesk service will continue to operate during business hours of 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.
   • We have the IT systems, tools and resources to support our employees to work productively from home.
   • We will continue to communicate and operate with minimal interruption to business-as-usual.
   • Should any business operations be impacted, we will communicate these changes ahead of time and do our best to make sure it doesn't affect our stakeholders.

5. Hygiene

   Health authorities advise that following good hygiene practice is the most effective preventative measure.

   • We are promoting good personal hygiene practices including:
   • Washing hands frequently with soap and water
   • Using hand sanitiser frequently
   • Avoiding touching your face
   • Using tissues when coughing or sneezing and disposing of them straight after use
   • Avoiding close contact with others, especially touch
   • We are promoting social distancing when out in public
6. At risk people (such as immune compromised or elderly)

• We encourage employees who are considered to be in a high-risk category to discuss flexible work options that meet their specific needs with their manager.

• Face-to-face meetings with external stakeholders and events are suspended until further government instruction.

We will continue to monitor the status of COVID-19 as the situation evolves and update our response accordingly.

We appreciate your understanding as we seek to avoid any unnecessary risks to our people, their families and the community.