Evoking transparency in the agrifood supply chain
As published in the Stock Journal
Last week, the fifth evokeAG conference in Brisbane showcased innovations aimed at future-proofing the agrifood sector. The 2025 theme ‘common ground’, is increasingly relevant as challenges in the red meat and wool industries grow.
Rewiring the agri-supply chain was an important discussion, particularly around increasing transparency. Once introduced, transparency is irreversible, making a collective, strategic approach essential.
Retailers currently face a trust deficit, necessitating partnerships with reputable suppliers who can provide traceable, verified product information. Traceability ensures verifiable and meaningful insights without oversharing sensitive data. This is essential for our industries, where animal welfare, land use and emissions are under increasing scrutiny, and some market and pricing intelligence is tightly held.
ESG reporting is here to stay, and encouragingly for livestock producers, the ‘S’ is now highly visible meaning producer profitability must be at the core of industry sustainability efforts. Without profitable producers, ESG frameworks fail. Transparency initiatives must align with business efficiencies and compliance must not create unnecessary cost.
Producers are already experiencing increasing regulatory and disclosure requirements. The key to meeting current and future compliance, marketing, and supply chain optimisation is to collect the data once and be able to use it multiple times. Retailers, in turn, must agree on standardised data-sharing practices to avoid adding unnecessary costs.
The EU is leading in data collection and transparency, pushing other regions to catch up. Progressive brands are investing in traceability because they see a market advantage. An advantage now is expected to be short lived, transitioning to simply market access in the future.
As more data is collected, customers and consumers will seek a trusted source to assure them that it is believable. Credible certification systems underpin trust. This requires independent, globally recognised verification rather than self-justified claims.
Consumers will soon expect to scan a code and instantly access comprehensive product information. As AI becomes normalised, they will only be one ChatGPT click away from a complete story, further increasing the need for accurate, available data.
Over time, poor transparency will result in lost trust and market share. As consumer preferences evolve, industries must be agile enough to adapt without disrupting supply chains or losing relevance in an increasingly scrutinised marketplace.
The red meat and wool industries must stay ahead of consumer demands, as it takes time to reposition genetic systems and production practices, so we need to anticipate shifts in consumer expectations before they become market imperatives or regulatory mandates.
Fundamentally, our strategic transparency efforts need to build a more resilient, profitable, and trusted livestock industry.
By Travis Tobin, Livestock SA CEO