Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) successfully launched the eighth edition of the Handbook of Australian Meat on 13 January 2023.

Both Chinese and Australian red meat traders, importers, retailers, industry insiders and industry experts are invited by MLA to gather in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu respectively.

The press conference focused on the highlights and changes of the new Handbook, also reviewed and looked ahead the innovative model of Australian red meat classroom programme. As the Chinese Lunar New Year approaches, the event tries to promote the exchange of industry partners and to explore the road of development on the red meat industry in the New Year.

01 Build an interactive platform

Deeper and more sustained

Joe Zhu, General Manager of MLA Greater China, delivers a welcome oration in Shanghai. He began by thanking representatives from The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), the Victorian Government of Australia, importers and exporters of the Chinese and Australian red meat industries for attending MLA’s first industry event of year 2023.

Joe Zhu, General Manager of MLA Greater China

Joe said that the seventh edition of the Handbook of Australian Meat was published in 2005, and it has accompanied many industry insiders to witness the growth of Australian red meat in the Chinese market. After 17 years, the Australian Red Meat Handbook has been revised and improved, expecting the international meat trade to be more efficient and smoother.

Under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, import tariffs on Australian beef will be reduced to 1.2 percent this year, while tariffs on Australian lamb will be reduced to 0 percent. Competitive tariffs will enable Chinese consumers to buy Australian red meat at a better price and further promote the development of the Chinese market for Australian red meat.

Andrew Cox, General Manager, MLA International Marketing

Andrew Cox, General Manager of MLA International Marketing Dept., extended season's greetings to the guests via video link. Andrew said that China is one of the largest markets for Australian red meat, and the development trend of China-Australia relations is very good for the future of China-Australia red meat industry. He is very confident about the Australian supply. The last time he visited China was in 2019. He is looking forward very much to coming to China again for cooperation and exchanges.

Nick Henderson, Deputy Special Commissioner for Greater China, Victorian Government

Nick Henderson, deputy Special Commissioner of the Victorian Government of Australia for Greater China, spoke in Shanghai venue, locating in the Vic House of the Cool Docks .

“Victoria is a major food producing state in Australia. Its mild climate and natural rainfall provide excellent natural conditions for grain and meat production. Its scientifically and rigorous food safety system, traceability of animal life cycle realized the concept of farm to table. We are looking forward to establishing deeper business links between Victoria products and the Chinese market.”he said.

Deputy Consul-General of the Consulate General of Australia in Guangzhou, Ms. Andrea Myles

Australian exporters have experienced many challenges and difficult times in the Chinese market in the past three years, but they are still trying their best to ensure supply to the Chinese market, said Deputy Consul-General of the Consulate General of Australia in Guangzhou, Ms. Andrea Myles. Australia exported 270,553 tonnes of red meat to China in the year till November in 2022. Maintaining this level of market participation is indeed an achievement. The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia. Chinese and Australian companies, industrial and commercial circles all welcomed the resumption of bilateral dialogue.

In the future, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission will work with Australian government agencies and industry organizations, including the MLA, to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Australia and support the business development of Australian companies in the Chinese market.

Zhu Yifan, founder of Yifan Culinary Education

Zhu Yifan, founder of Yifan Culinary Education, said MLA has been working to build a common product awareness for buyers and sellers. Australian red meat products basically cover all the catering needs. Australian beef products are divided into grain feeding and grass feeding, and the raising days are also different. Restaurants can choose suitable Australian meat according to different positioning and cost. He believes that while the restaurant industry was quite difficult in 2022, tomorrow is bound to be better.

02 Highlight of the new version

More practical and more convenient

Calvin Gung, Senior Technical Advisor of MLA, introduced the major differences between the eighth edition of the Australian Red Meat Handbook and the seventh edition at the event.

➤The 8th edition of the Handbook of Australian Meat has 166 pages, with an increase of over 50 pages compared to the 7th edition.

➤ The full text of the manual will have more striking characters and clearer pictures.

➤ The appendix adds an international glossary of red meat terms. In addition to simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic, Spanish is also added.

➤ A more complete presentation of Australian red meat expertise.

➤ The new tags and colors will make the pictures more lively.

➤ The new edition will be more specific and colloquial in terms of language, as well as new slang terms that are commonly used in the industry.

The supplement and update of the handbook covers a richer and more comprehensive product introduction and professional knowledge. based on the needs of industry practitioners, the use of the new handbook is more convenient and made it easier to promote the further development of international meat trade.

The Handbook of Australian Meat basically covers the terms and serial numbers used by meat enterprises when purchasing meat products. Meat enterprises can place orders based on the serial numbers when purchasing meat products. The rich meat expertise in the manual is also a rare and authoritative industry manual for practitioners.

The green color used in the new Handbook of Australian Meat comes from the Carbon neutral 2030 (CN30) target pioneered by MLA in 2017. MLA is not only a defender of the environment, but also a participant in the fight against climate change. MLA has always attached great importance to animal welfare and environmental protection, as well as the sustainable development of Australian red meat and animal husbandry.

03 Interpretive innovation project

More diverse and comprehensive

The event also introduced MLA's new Australia Meat Academy (AMA) Australian Red Meat classroom programme.

Kicked off in 2021, the AMA program supports multiple channels from supply chain to terminal through both offline training and online courses. Especially during the pandemic, live online courses broke the boundaries of time and space and continued to provide learning opportunities for traders, importers, retailers and caterers.

So far, AMA programme has completed 3 live courses and organized several offline trainings in cooperation with Marriott and other organizations. In addition, the "Australian Red Meat Cooking Certificate Course" jointly launched by MLA and Yifan Culinary Education is also a key course project of Australian Red Meat class.

At the event, Zhu Yifan, founder of Yifan Culinary Education, introduced the "Australian Red Meat Cooking Certificate Course" to the guests in detail, focusing on the characteristics and advantages of Australian beef and mutton in the catering industry.

"Australian Red Meat Cooking Certificate Course" is a 12-person choicest small-class course, divided into catering and retail courses. It combines a large amount of professional theoretical knowledge and practical teaching demonstration to empower practitioners in the red meat industry. Since its inception, 140 person-times have been trained. The trainees are not only able to systematically improve their professional competence by learning the knowledge and cooking skills of Australian red meat comprehensively, but also to interact with mentors and industry partners to enhance communication and share industry information. At the end of the course, trainees will receive a certificate certified by the World Federation of Chefs.

The latest course of "Australian Red Meat Cooking Certificate Course" in 2023 is scheduled for February 16-17 and March 15-16. Star hotels and catering enterprises, Australian red meat importers and distributors may receive a ￥2000 course subsidy from the MLA via application. Interested industry partners are welcomed visit MLA WeChat official account and leave a background message for application.

As the Chinese Lunar New Year approaches, guests convey their best wishes among industry partners using hand-write spring couplets and Fu characters on the scene.

This is MLA 2023's first industry event. In the future, MLA will adapt to the development and changes of the post-COVID-19 era, keep opening up and innovating, and continue to empower the red meat industry and expand the brand influence of Australian beef and mutton in the Chinese market with more diversified promotion methods and application scenarios of different channels.