Griffith Agribusiness Associate Professor Dominic Smith has received an Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant (AVEG) for his project, Reimagining collaboration in the Australian and Vietnam beef cattle sectors.
Researchers from Griffith Agribusiness, Focus Group Go, and Vietnam’s Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSAR) will collaborate with government and industry representatives to strengthen collaboration between Vietnam and Australia’s beef and cattle industries, as well as to establish stronger partnerships for increased trade, investment, and innovation.
“Australia has been a major player in supplying beef and live cattle to Vietnam, particularly in the last decade, but the post-pandemic period has seen increased formalisation of trade patterns coupled with increasing consumer demands for higher meat quality, traceability, and food safety,” Associate Professor Smith said.
According to Associate Professor Smith, due to the fast evolution of beef and cattle value chains, consumer demand across the region, and changes in the profitability of short-term lot-feeding Australian cattle in Vietnam, the two nations’ trade relationship must evolve into a constructive collaboration.
“We aim to establish a multi-stakeholder analysis platform in Vietnam which will undertake research to increase understanding and provide critical evidence, insights, and guidance to government and industry,” he stated.
“An associated information gathering network across South-East Asia will collect market data and intelligence through beef and cattle supply chains, including formal and informal channels,” he added.
The $550,000 initiative is financed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as part of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy, and it officially kicked started in July with a kick-off meeting in Hanoi.
It will also feature a major international symposium in Hanoi in November 2023 and a visit to Australia by key industry and government figures in May 2024, in addition to the multi-stakeholder platform.
The initiative will culminate in a bi-lateral Policy Dialogue in late May 2024.
