AMPC is proud to release its 2020-21 annual report. The 2020-21 financial year was the first of five years covered under AMPC’s Strategic Plan 2020-25, and the focus for the AMPC team has been on setting strong foundations through building closer relationships with processors and expanding their network of research partners. 2020-21 has seen a challenging operating environment for Australia’s meat processors, with COVID-19, reduced livestock availability, and labour supply front of mind. Despite this, processors have engaged enthusiastically with AMPC throughout the year. The past year has ..read more

The long-term chronic stress endured by employees in a pandemic can really take its toll on their wellbeing. We can easily fall out of our healthy habits and find ourselves in a slump. AMPC has engaged the Corporate Wellbeing Hub to develop a wellbeing series to support your employees during this time. It’s free to participate in and showcases a broad range of self-care strategies and practical tips to protect physical and mental wellbeing. The series covers: 1. A video which explains how to build self-care toolkits and looks at physical and mental health, relationships, and environment ..read more

AMPC started a significant program of work earlier this year aimed at providing cost efficient beef scribing automation options for processors of all sizes. Beef scribing is the first step in the deboning process. It is the most critical step in operations to ensure processors get the most out of each carcase. This step is currently undertaken by employees using manually operated electrical saws. They use their own vision to ensure the accurate placement of these vital cutting lines. Using a scribing circular saw is considered one of the most dangerous tasks within a meat processing operatio ..read more

Earlier this year AMPC issued a challenge to providers across the world asking them to develop concepts for ‘shadow robotic’ solutions and how this might apply to meat processing and the results have been outstanding. The aim of the technology is safety and improved accuracy. ‘Shadow robots’ have the ability to have employees operate equipment, without directly interacting with it. Successful solutions will ensure employees do not need to engage directly with bandsaws and cutting implements. A ‘shadow robot’ might do this for them. The technology will initially see processors place operatio ..read more

This month we talk with Jemma Harper. What did you do before AMPC? After leaving school my career aspirations were to manage and own pubs, so I completed a Bachelor of Business (Tourism and Hospitality). This took me to the Victorian ski fields, working two ski seasons, where I fell in love with skiing. It also took me to France for six months to study at an international business school in Rennes. After completing university, I completed a chef apprenticeship. However, after three years of working in the kitchen, I quickly realised how much it drastically impacted my busy social life. I en ..read more

AMPC recently delivered a series of refrigeration energy efficiency workshops with our members that included handbooks, guidebooks, calculation tools and customised reports for each participant ..read more

Thank you to our members who participated in our inaugural member survey in August. Telephone surveys were conducted, and responses provided were from 40 meat processing plants ..read more

This month we talk with Matthew Deegan, or Deegs as some of us call him.  ..read more

Investing in future-ready agriculture, fisheries, forestry and emerging industries is the goal behind the 2022 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ..read more

AMPC is a partner in the Northern NSW and Southern Qld Drought Resilience Hub which is an initiative of the Federal Government’s Future Drought Fund. Responding to some processor member requests for assistance during the hardest period of the drought in 2019, AMPC and some of its members attended a Future Drought Fund Town Hall gathering in Toowoomba. AMPC Program Manager Matthew Deegan, who arranged the red meat processor attendance, said, “AMPC and our processor members presented some water saving concepts, but more importantly we listened to the concerns of the community. It became appare ..read more