“Australians should be assured that our Lot Feeding industry is truly world leading in terms of it’s pro-active research towards management practices that improve animal health and welfare outcomes. By committing resources towards R&D projects and adopting that science into the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme(NFAS) requirements, we ensure that animal husbandry in Australian lot feeding is the best in the world. “ Graham Flynn, ALFA Animal Health and Welfare Committee Chair

Animal Health and Welfare – For Consumers

A major strength of the Australian beef industry is our reputation as a producer of high quality, safe, and disease-free beef. Working to maintain and promote this enviable position is one of ALFA’s key roles. Consumers both domestically and abroad can be well satisfied that Australian beef, and grain fed beef in particular, is free from disease, safe and healthy, and produced under world leading welfare practices.

With the high level of supervision by feedlot managers, health and welfare issues in feedlots can be managed faster and more effectively than in many rangeland production systems. Through annual auditing under NFAS, every accredited feedlot is checked to ensure it meets these high standards.

For more information see:

Animal Health and Welfare – For Industry

ALFA’s work on Animal Health and Welfare is carried out in collaboration with government, other industry groups and non-government organizations with achievable outcomes in mind. ALFA does not engage with extremist animal rights groups.

Animal Health Australia

ALFA works closely with Animal Health Australia(AHA), to whom 13 cents of each cattle transaction levy is disbursed. AHA is a not-for-profit public company established by the Commonwealth and State/Territory governments and the livestock industries. ALFA has a number of governance and advisory roles on AHA committees.

ALFA works with AHA to minimizes the risks to human health and ensure that Australia’s national animal health system delivers a competitive advantage and enhanced market access for Australia’s beef industry. AHA has been instrumental in brokering the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement and emergency disease preparedness between governments and industry. These national programs provide benefits to both the community and the economy. Funding is provided by industry as well as Commonwealth and State/Territory governments using mutually agreed cost sharing arrangements. The beef industry’s key programs are listed on the AHA website.

National Residue Survey

The use of veterinary chemicals is an essential tool in beef production, with some important disease treatment and prevention only achieved in this manner. Veterinary drugs are used to treat and prevent cattle diseases and parasites, to maximize production, improve productivity, and to ensure welfare outcomes are achieved.

ALFA works closely with the National Residue Survey (NRS) to whom 29c of each cattle transaction levy is disbursed. NRS is the government agency that monitors chemical residues in a range of Australian agricultural commodities. NRS monitoring is an essential part of the export requirement for Japan, North America, Europe and other key markets. NRS monitoring also plays a crucial role in satisfying domestic consumers of the residue safety of beef.

For the beef industry, surveillance and compliance surveys and programs are developed under the auspices of the SAFEMEAT partnership in conjunction with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS), Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), state government agencies, NRS managers and industry groups including ALFA to meet the particular monitoring needs of specific chemicals

ALFA also represents the industry by managing and approving use of levy funds through the Beef Industry NRS Advisory Committee (BIAC).

National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme

ALFA has pioneered on farm QA in the livestock industries, including strict compliance checking with government endorsed animal welfare standards. The National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme (NFAS) is the quality assurance program for Australian feedlots

Under AQIS Meat Orders, this program is mandatory for feedlots producing grainfed beef for export markets. NFAS has been operating since 1992, and is managed by an industry committee, the Feedlot Industry Accreditation Committee (FLIAC).

This ISO accredited scheme incorporates the national feedlot welfare code of practice and also requires compliance with this code through active maintenance of an animal care statement.

Compliance checking via independent third party auditing ensures the integrity of NFAS. NFAS is co-regulated by linkages to State government feedlot approval and licensing legislation and AQIS administered export regulations.
Accredited feedlots are required to­

For more information regarding the feedlot industry and animal health and welfare please click here