2016 MINTRAC Paddock to Plate National Training Conference

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2016 MINTRAC Paddock to Plate National Training Conference in Melbourne on 6 and 7 April.

Last year was our first attempt to run a whole-of-chain training conference and it was so well received that we continued the theme this year. However, we unfortunately have not had the continued support of Rural Skills Australia, who felt that with the structural changes occurring at the federal level, they could not commit to a partnership arrangement. We hope that as the changes settle in, we can renew the collaboration.

Many of those national changes were explored at the conference. Ross Keane reported on the implementation of the Red Meat Industry Strategic Plan, now in full operation. His presentation was complemented by Ben Thomas from MLA, whose industry outlook presentation was as always, insightful. Wednesday continued with a wide range of speakers on key current issues and topics related to meat production and processing, several who were presenting at a MINTRAC conference for the first time.

On Thursday we unpacked the national changes to the administrative and support structures surrounding Training Packages. The new structure of AISC, IRCs and SSOs is now fully operational and we welcomed various speakers who explained the roll out process and the way forward. These changes are extremely important for the meat industry which relies so much on the currency and availability of its accredited training.

The training theme continued on Thursday with some thought-provoking and challenging workshops, with lots of participation and questions from the audience.

No conference could operate successfully without the support of the sponsors and exhibitors and we extend our sincere thanks for their continued support.

So, from all the MINTRAC Board and staff, thank you again to everyone who attended the 2016 Paddock to Plate conference. It was a thought-provoking, engaging and entertaining few days. We look forward to seeing you again at next year’s conference.

Jenny Kroonstuiver
Chief Executive Officer
MINTRAC

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