Malcolm Foster, the immediate past president of the Australian Lot Feeders Association, was saluted for his tireless contribution to the betterment of the beef industry during a glittering ceremony held as one of the opening events of Beef 2009.
More than 400 senior industry stakeholders gathered on Monday evening for the Queensland Country Life Red Meat Industry Awards dinner in the Rockhampton showgrounds’ new Sidney Kidman pavilion.
Mr Foster, who retires as managing director of Rangers Valley feedlot near Glen Innes at the end of the year, was recognised as the Rural Press 2009 Beef Achiever of the Year for his contributions on behalf of the broader beef industry over a sustained period.
He was the inaugural chairman of the Red Meat Advisory Council during the difficult period of transition into the current industry structural environment.
He also made major contributions to the Meat Standards Australia steering committee during the formative period of Australia’s world’s best palatability-based grading system, and continues to sit as MSA’s R&D committee chair.
He has also been a key driver on the AusMeat standards committee, and served as the interim chairman of the Livestock Production Assurance committee.
During his acceptance, Mr Foster said he was humbled to be placed among such an august group as the 13 previous Beef Achiever award recipients.
"One thing this industry has taught me is to expect the unexpected," he said.
"When things are going smoothly, you know something is going to change – you just don’t know what it is or when it will happen.
"In my view, what sets the beef industry apart from many others in agriculture in Australia, and from other meat industries around the world, is the way the industry sectors have been able to work together.
"That’s what makes this industry so resilient, and so progressive.
"Of course our sectors have had their differences in the past, and I’m sure we will have them again in the future.
"But if we are going to continue to be progressive, we need to strive to ensure that we continue that cooperative approach.
"This industry will always be bigger than the individual companies that make it up, and will always achieve more if we can work together than we will if we work apart.
"If I’ve been able to play a small part in that cooperative effort, then it has been a great pleasure and a privilege for me."
Other industry stakeholders honoured on the night included:
- Westpac Young Beef Achiever Alistair Ferguson, who on behalf of beef exporter Sanger Australia has developed one of Australia’s largest and most successful Certified Organic Beef export programs, opening up new markets in North America, Korea and elsewhere.
- The QPI&F Value Added Beef Product Award went to Cargill Beef Australia for its Microwaveable Beef Roast, which incorporates a series of important breakthroughs in both packaging and production process to deliver a roast meal complete with gravy in one bag in less than 20 minutes.
- The Meat and Livestock Australia Environment and Sustainability Award went to Kemp Meats, a small abattoir and further processing facility at Sarina which has reduced both diesel and electricity use by 50 percent since installing a by-products/rendering plant delivering animal tallow used to generate energy.
- The Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association bestowed its RW Vincent award on two long serving contributors to the seedstock industry - John Croaker, the general manager of the Australian Brahman Breeders Association, and John Bertram, from QPI&F.
- Two of the major contributors towards the success of the early Beef Australia events held since 1988 were saluted during the evening. Beef 2009 chairman Geoff Murphy bestowed honorary life membership of the organisation on industry stalwarts, Maurice Binstead and Ken Coombe.
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