Livestock Health and Wealth: Interpreting carcase feedback for profitable production

Written By Meg Bell
Join the Project

  • The aim of the Livestock Health and Wealth project is to enhance your understanding of carcase feedback and enable you to make informed production changes on farm, leading to reduced non-compliance, increased productivity, profitability, and sustainability.

    Non-compliance costs the beef industry an estimated $127-$163 million per annum, and the lamb industry $8.4 million. Anecdotal estimates suggest that non-compliance in the beef and sheep industry in Western Victoria affects approximately 90% of producers in various ways (e.g. high pH and dark cutting incidence, low fat cover, high levels of arthritis). Additionally, it can be difficult to use services like myFeedback, myMSA or other processor portals through time constraints or complexity.

    It can be a complicated task to connect the feedback you receive from your processor, feedlot, or stock agent on meat quality and livestock health to specific on-farm changes. We want to help you understand your feedback, and use this feedback to make changes on farm to improve your compliance rate, by providing you with guidance, support and training from technical experts, peer support and local data.

    Project code: P.PSH.1579

    Project funding body: This Co-Contributor Producer Demonstration Site is funded by Meat & Livestock Australia.

    Project lead: Meg Bell, Coleraine Livestock Consulting

    Project duration: July 2025 to August 2029

    • We’ll form a group of like-minded producers who get together 3 times a year over the project duration.

    • We’ll collect data from you over the project duration to help you work out the best focus areas for your business to help you improve your compliance rate, and how much improvement you’re making.

    • We’ll use your data to complete an economic analysis of your business, to work out how your improved compliance rate will impact your bottom line.

    • Learn how to read and interpret your carcase feedback to increase your compliance – whether you sell direct to a processor, to a feedlot, or through the saleyards.

    • Learn how to implement changes to nutrition, genetics and animal health to increase your carcase compliance.

    • Have access to technical experts in nutrition, genetics, livestock health and farm business management.

    • Learn from data collected on local farms to help inform your decisions .

    • Be part of a group of producers that learn from and share ideas with each other across Western Victoria.

  • There are 3 levels of membership type, based on what you want to put into the project and what you want to get out of the project.

    • PDS host

      • Attend with and learn from your peers at 3 discussion group sessions per year, plus learn from technical experts at each session.

      • Have access to our project team experts, and receive one-on-one advice from your chosen advisor at a discounted rate to their normal fee (included in the membership fee for the group), including one-on-one development of an annual plan for your business in your chosen area of focus.

      • Phone access to your chosen advisor throughout the project.

      • Have your business’s data collected and analysed by the project team, including your processor and production data, and share the findings with the group.

    • PDS group member

      • Attend with and learn from your peers at 3 discussion group sessions per year, plus learn from technical experts at each session.

      • Have access to our project team experts, and receive group advice from technical experts.

      • Phone access to your chosen advisor throughout the project.

      • Collect your own data and to have analysed by the project team, including your processor and production data, and share findings with the group.

    • PDS casual group member

      • Attend with and learn from your peers at 3 discussion group sessions per year, plus learn from technical experts at each session.

      • Have access to our project team experts, and receive group advice from technical experts.

      • Phone access to your chosen advisor throughout the project.

    • Be a sheep and/or cattle producer in Western Victoria

    • Be willing to meet 3 times a year for 3 years as part of the discussion group

    • Be willing to contribute and collect data on farm (with help from the project team)

    • PDS host

      • $2,300+GST annually or $6,400+GST for 3 years (discount of $500+GST)

    • PDS group member

      • $1,300+GST annually or $3,600+GST for 3 years (discount of $300+GST)

    • PDS casual group member

      • $500+GST annually or $1,400+GST for 3 years (discount of $100+GST)

  • This project is an MLA Co-Contributor project, which allows MLA to leverage funds from the Australian Government via the MLA Donor Company (MDC). The Australian Government matches voluntary partner contributions (up to 40%) through the MDC. This means that your investment in joining the group and taking part in the project boosts the amount available to fund the project, meaning more services for you as a member and better outcomes for your business.

  • For further information please contact Meg Bell

    E: meg@colerainelivestockconsulting.com.au

    M: 0433 499 630

  • Ready to join the project? Click here!

Meg Bell