Meat Processors Will be Forced to Pay Levy

August 24, 2007 - Australian meat processors will soon be forced to pay a compulsory levy to fund research and marketing of red meat. Until now, the levy has been voluntary, raising around $16 million a year. It is charged on a per kilogram basis for beef and on a per head for animals like sheep and goats.

The Australian Meat Processor Corporation's Joanne Sillince says the move brings processors into line with producers, who have paid a mandatory levy for nearly 10 years.

"In this industry, just like all other industries, there was a small number of people that didn't want to play ball," said Sillince. "But there were ... one or two that were reasonably big players that were not just not paying but were then using all the benefits coming out of it and rubbing everybody's noses in it. When you looked into the future, that was a situation that was just going to get worse, not better."
Reprinted in part from ABC Rural Australia

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