Ongoing reform of laws governing the export of meat-producing animals is set to be a key issue at the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) conference LIVEXforum in Canberra, Australia.
“The LIVEXforum 2016 program reflects our industry’s commitment to ongoing reform and the importance of alignment with community expectations,” said ALEC’s CEO Simon Westaway on the eve of the hotly-anticipated conference.
“Regulation is at the centre of everything our industry does with regard to our global competitiveness, ongoing profitability and exporters’ social licence to operate. Ensuring the regulation system governing our trade is the best possible.”
Respected agribusiness litigator Dr Michael Maxwell, who advises Australian legal firm Clayton Utz, is due to speak on the livestock regulation at the forum. Westaway said Maxwell had a long history dealing with livestock laws in challenging global jurisdictions. Maxwell is expected to talk about how evolving community standards and technical developments mean it is important to revisit and refine current legal frameworks.
‘Unique’ legal insight
“From his work in recent years helping livestock export clients to manage their regulatory obligations and in advocating for improved laws governing the live trade, Dr Maxwell has a unique insight into the regulatory challenges facing our industry,” Westaway added.
“Dr Maxwell’s presentation will be a highlight of LIVEXforum 2016. We are looking forward to a stimulating debate on what good regulation looks like, how it works and how it evolves over time,” Westaway said.
“Good regulation is never a case of ‘set and forget’ and we need to contemplate how the rules governing industries like ours can be influenced in different ways, especially in different jurisdictions. ALEC looks forward to hosting a timely discussion about the opportunities and challenges facing our $2bn industry.”