Twenty-Five Years and Counting: Preliminary Estimates of the Aggregate Economic Benefits of Meat Standards Australia

Australia is recognised globally as a leader in the beef cattle industry, developing innovations in production systems and in both the domestic and export markets which have benefitted all beef value chain participants. One of the key reasons for its global recognition has been the design, implementation and ongoing improvement of the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) quality assurance scheme which was first trialled in 1998 and celebrated 25 years since commencement in 2023. In this paper the history of the development and implementation of MSA is reviewed, including its alignment with the theoretical principles of the economics of grading and the way in which the initial model has been modified over time.  Then, publicly available data is used to estimate the aggregate economic benefits to the industry from its implementation, and these benefits are compared with estimates of the costs incurred in researching, developing and operating the MSA model. The analysis shows that cattle producers, beef processors and beef consumers have all been beneficiaries of the program through the price premiums available for MSA graded beef and cattle. Based on the data available at the time of writing, at the retail level, annual gross benefits have risen substantially to over $400 million in the three years to 2022/23. The cumulative value to 2022/23 is estimated to be$3,125 million. These annual gross benefits are eventually distributed to producers, processors, retailers and consumers in relation to the relative slopes of the demand and supply curves at all the various market levels, as the market adjusts over time to the new level of domestic consumer willingness-to-pay for guaranteed tenderness. At the farm level in the last four years aggregate ‘over-the-hook’ returns have averaged around $200 million per year. The cumulative value to 2022/23 is estimated to be just under$2,200 million. Over the whole period 2004/05 to 2022/23, producers have received about 70 per cent of the total available willingness to pay. Impact assessment studies have shown that all past R&D expenditure in MSA has been covered, all industry adoption costs have been covered, all annual operating expenses have been covered, and on top of that, a substantial additional benefit has been generated

Investigating the Dynamics and Trends of Sustainable Food Systems in Ethiopia: Characterizing the National Performance within the Global Context

This paper assesses the trends of Sustainable Food System in Ethiopia, and how the various indicators evolved over time in the four food system dimensions: environmental, economic, social, and food and nutrition security. We employed quartile analysis to evaluate the relative performance of Ethiopia vis-à-vis the rest of the world by grouping the latter into lower quartile, median, and upper quartile based on their performance. The result revealed that while some positive strides have been achieved in reducing poverty headcount ratio over the past two decades, a high proportion of stunting and undernourishment, high variability of food supply, the slow-onset of adult obesity, and poor access to basic facilities for food utilization, especially when compared to the countries in the lower, median and upper quartiles, remain to be formidable challenges calling for the attention of policymakers

Mechanisms for improving the economic efficiency of livestock development in the Republic of Kazakhstan

The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal ways to increase the economic efficiency of animal husbandry, considering the problems of development and efficiency of the livestock industry in Kazakhstan. The results are based on the systematisation of the information studied, which highlights the trends in the development of the livestock industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan from 2018 to 2022, considering the foreign experience in the development of the industry, which determined the optimal mechanisms for improving the economic efficiency of the livestock industry in Kazakhstan. The balance of Kazakhstan's foreign trade was calculated

Policies nourishing sustainability: China's path to sustainable agri-food development

Over the past two decades, China's remarkable economic growth has brought forth opportunities and challenges, including unsustainable food systems. Policies are pivotal in driving sustainable development, facilitating a balance between food supply, consumer demands, and environmental goals, thereby promoting a more sustainable food system. This study delves into the role of national policies from 2000 to 2022 in addressing these challenges, intending to reveal policy characteristics and potential impacts on agriculture and food. The research employs heat-map analysis, neural networks analysis, and topic analysis to explore policy concepts and themes, with findings underscoring the significance of rural development and food safety within agri-food policies. The presence of policy duplication and complementarity across different ministries provides valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of policy and their implications for sustainable agri-food systems in China and global sustainability endeavors

Entry points of the Russo-Ukrainian war into the EU's food supply chain and potential impacts

The Russo-Ukrainian war led to supply shocks in the EU's Food Supply Chain (FSC), impacting energy, fertilizer, and agricultural trade. By means of seven expert interviews, we assess possible impacts of these shock effects downstream entities within the EU’S FSC. Despite initial concerns about the need to compensate for Ukraine's previous agricultural commodity flows, exports to the EU have actually increased due to the abolition of tariffs and new land routes. However, the sanctions are changing the EU's trade relations in the energy and fertilizer sectors forcing it to find new trading partners. Such shifts in trade are accompanied by rising prices. Also, energy price spikes led to temporarily closure of fertilizer plants, compounding the problem. However, in times of undersupply of named goods, high GDP countries such as the EU states can afford to pay a premium price to fulfil their demand

Consulting System to Support The Implementation of Complex Requirements for Quality, Sustainability, Occupational Safety and Digital Transformation in Food Chains – Benchmark, Processes And Qualification

The demands placed on companies in terms of up-to-date quality and sustainability management as well as health and safety measures are high and are becoming increasingly complex. Increased legal requirements, additional industry standards and derived customer requirements constantly present companies and value chains with new challenges. The integrated approach to the implementation of these different requirements has already taken place in companies in recent years. However, small businesses still find it difficult to face the complexity of requirements on their own without an accompanying consultation. Qualint is a support tool, which is currently available in the 3rd version. The tool supports companies in setting up and continuously developing their integrated management system with coordinated hybrid service bundles. The focus is on combining the fields of action of quality, environmental and sustainability management as well as occupational safety and health.The article illustrates how quality management can be used as a basis for building up digital and organizational structures in companies and value chains. The focus is on sustainability aspects and ethical requirements that are closely related to people, such as occupational health and safety. Compliance with human rights is required in ISO 26000 and is also part of occupational safety and health. Furthermore, compliance with human rights and corresponding working conditions is also regulated by the new Supply Chain Duty Act (LkSG). It shows how demands on companies have grown and how the consulting tool Qualint has developed accordingly

Vulnerability and Critical Control Point Assessment of the Feta Cheese Supply Chain in Greece towards Blockchain Implementation

As unique and culturally important commodities, food items designated with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) play a pivotal role in the food supply chain by safeguarding the authenticity and uniqueness of regional delicacies. Within the PDO realm, Feta cheese, a culturally significant dairy product with strict geographic and production regulations, faces challenges like counterfeit products, threatening its authenticity. This study examines the PDO Feta cheese supply chain, focusing on "Olympos" producer and "Masoutis" retailer in Greece. This evaluation utilizes the Delphi Technique in combination with the design phases of HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP to thoroughly examine operations, vulnerabilities, and critical control points. The findings reveal numerous weaknesses and critical control points in the Feta cheese supply chain that require attention and serve as a foundation for enhancing PDO supply chains. Moreover, Blockchain Technology (BT) is proposed as a solution to enhance traceability. BT, with its decentralized and immutable ledger system, is seen as transformative in data management, fostering trust among stakeholders. It ensures transparent and auditable records throughout the supply chain, providing consumers with unprecedented authenticity transparency. The integration of BT holds promise for enhancing overall integrity and efficiency, benefiting all stakeholders

Understanding the level of household food security headed by women and its determinants in Indonesia

Women, often the primary breadwinners and heads of the household, face a wage gap and limited access to education, rendering them more susceptible to food insecurity. This study addresses two main questions: analysis of household food security level headed by women and examining its determinants, which is highly relevant to our field of interest. The result unveils that 40.18% of households are classified as vulnerable regarding food security. The number of household members, education, type of employment, and level of access to technology are significant factors influencing household food security

Information Avoidance with Regard to Pig Farming and Its Implications for Communication Strategies of The Agricultural Livestock Sector

In the agri-food industry, public relations work relies on consumers who are willing to receive information. However, studies have shown that people often avoid using information, a behavior known as information avoidance. Sweeny et al. (2010) identify three main motives for this behavior: avoiding negative effects on action, affect or cognition. Currently, the effectiveness of agribusiness communication strategies and information formats in improving acceptance and trust in intensive livestock farming may be limited. There have been no published studies to date that address the suitability of communication strategies employed by the agri-food industry in light of information avoidance and its underlying motives, particularly with regard to pig farming. This present exploratory study aims to fill this research gap. The study employed Howell and Shepperd's (2016) 8-item information avoidance scale to measure the relationship between the occurrence and impact of three motives for information avoidance and information avoidance in pig farming. The influence of sociodemographics, personality-related characteristics and level of acceptance regarding pig farming on information avoidance has been tested in addition to the basic model specification. The impact of the motives for information avoidance showed some significant results on tendency to avoid information. Expected contradiction to one's own beliefs (cognition) has a negative effect on information avoidance, while expected negative effects on affect has a positive impact on information avoidance. This findings align with the meat paradox, which is a form of dissonance. Consumers use information avoidance as a strategy to reduce emotional discomfort caused by moral contradictions. Therefore images, formulations or information content that tend to be seen as emotionally charged regarding animals should not be used for public relations work. Suitable target groups for public relations work are primarily intellectually open-minded people who are, according to our results, interested in new information, even if this could create a contradictory image to their previous attitudes. In addition, people who are completely opposed to pig farming are generally interested in information on this topic and could therefore potentially be reached well with factual information and neutral arguments. Furthermore, it has been shown that consumers with a low level of acceptance of pig farming tend to avoid information on the subject. It is important to consider this when preparing and disseminating information about pig farming, as it could limit the success of public relations work in the agricultural industry

Comparative multidimensional analysis of agroforestry's impact on food security: A study of households in the Awi Zone Highlands, Ethiopia

This study assesses the food security condition of Acacia-based agroforestry (ABA) user and non-user households in Awi Zone highlands, Ethiopia, using a composite approach. Purposive and random samplings were employed to select sample districts and households. Data were collected through questionnaires, discussions, and interviews, and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results showed that 42.2% of the households (46.9% ABA-users, 37.5% non-users) were food-secure, while 57.8% were food-insecure. ABA-users’ composite food security index was significantly higher than non-users (P<0.05), signifying ABA's contributions. Livestock and farmland size, participation in off-farm activities, irrigation access, plantation experiences, and perceived soil quality positively affected food security, while age, family size, credit access, and market distance negatively impacted it. Addressing lavish sociocultural practices, and intensifying agroforestry helps to combat food insecurity