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ACCC announces cattle and beef market study forums
THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is inviting people involved with cattle and beef markets to participate in a series of regional forums.
The forums are a part of the ACCC’s recently announced market study into the cattle and beef industry. 
“The purpose of these forums is to hear directly from farmers and other people in the cattle and beef industry about competition and fair trading issues that concern them,” ACCC commissioner Mick Keogh said.
The forums will be held at:
- Wodonga, Victoria, on Tuesday June 7, 2016
- Toowoomba, Queensland, on Friday June 10, 2016
- Mount Gambier, South Australia, on Monday June 20, 2016
- Dubbo, New South Wales, on Friday June 24, 2016
- Bunbury, Western Australia, on Friday July 1, 2016.
The commissioner said the forums were an important part of the ACCC’s public consultation for the market study, which examines competition, efficiency, transparency and trading issues across the supply chain. Attendees will have the opportunity to raise their concerns directly with ACCC commissioners.
“We are in the early stages of the market study, and consultation is ongoing. We are interested in a range of issues. For example - competition between buyers of cattle, the strength of competition among bidders at saleyards, and the transparency of cattle pricing information,” Mr Keogh said.
“If you have any issues you wish to raise, but you are not able to attend a forum, I encourage you to call or email us and have a chat.”
During June and July, ACCC staff will also visit a number of regional areas where forums are not being held.
Background:
The ACCC announced the cattle and beef market study on April 5 2016 and released an Issues Paper on April 7, 2016.
Key issues to be covered by the market study include:
- competition between buyers of cattle, and suppliers of processed meat to downstream customers
- the implications of saleyard attendees bidding on behalf of multiple buyers
- impediments to greater efficiency, such as bottlenecks or market power at certain points along the supply chain
- differences in bargaining strength, and the allocation of commercial risk between cattle producers and buyers
- the transparency of carcase pricing and grading methods
- seeking information on the share of profits among the cattle and beef production, processing and retailing sectors
- barriers to entry and expansion in cattle processing markets.
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