Meat and Livestock Australia Limited

Meat and Livestock Australia Limited (MLA) delivers marketing and research programmes for Australia's cattle, sheep and goat producers. MLA has over 47,500 livestock producer members who have stakeholder entitlements in the company. MLA is primarily funded by transaction levies paid on livestock sales by producers. The Australian Government also contributes a dollar for each dollar MLA spends in research and development. This is supplemented by cooperative contributions from individual processors, wholesalers, food service operators and retailers. Processors and live animal exporters also pay levies under contract to MLA. The company is subject to ministerial direction in certain circumstances under section 69 of the Australian Meat and Live-Stock Industry Act 1997. MLA is not the only beneficiary of transaction levies; it is one of three organisations, including Animal Health Australia and the National Residue Survey, that receive a proportion of the funds. MLA has a board of 11 directors, appointed by members.