Page 4 - National Poultry Newspaper

ACMF statement –
meat intake and
cancer risk
THE Australian Chicken Meat Feder- ation is the national, peak organisation for those involved in the chicken meat in- dustry in Australia, including chicken farmers and chicken meat processors.
ACMF is aware of the Channel 9 News segment that aired on September 9 and which raised concerns about poultry meat in- take and certain can- cer risks.
ACMF executive di- rector Dr Vivien Kite said, “The UK study referenced in this seg- ment does not prove or even suggest a di- rect causal relation- ship between chicken consumption itself and cancer risk.”
“The study shows a preliminary find- ing of an association and requires further
investigation.”
The report on this
study admits the as- sociations it also found between red meat con- sumption and various cancers (colorectal, breast and prostate) may similarly be con- founded by other fac- tors, for example, the method of cooking.
The suggested as- sociation between poultry and cancer is not backed up by the broader scientific lit- erature.
The Australian Can- cer Council states there is not enough evidence to draw any conclusions on eating poultry and the risk of cancer.
Lean chicken meat can be a key nutri- tional element to a healthy, balanced diet.
For more informa- tion, visit chicken.org. au
Modernising agricultural research and development
A THRIVING agricul- tural sector underpins the future success of our regional communi- ties and national econo- my and depends on our farmers getting strong returns at the farmgate.
A discussion paper launched recently is call- ing for ideas to modern- ise Australia’s Research and Development Cor- porations to support the next wave of innovation for Australian farmers.
Minister for Agriculture Bridget McKenzie said Australian agriculture is an international success story and the Federal Government is working to ensure farmers can build on that success.
“Our farmers feed and clothe our nation and send safe, high-quality, sustainable products to markets around the globe,” Minister McKen- zie said.
“Farming underpins profitable farming fami- lies, strong rural and re- gional communities and contributes to our nation- al economy.
“That’s why our gov- ernment is committed to realising a $100 billion industry by 2030.
“Agriculture in the 21st century will be science- led, employ more cutting- edge technology and need highly skilled workers.
“If we’re to position ag- riculture as an agile in- dustry of choice for the 21st century, we need to see what improvements we can make that will
help us get there.
“This is an opportunity
for those who have a stake in the system to be involved so we can make sure our agriculture sector is operating as ef- fectively and efficiently as it can.
“This discussion pa- per is about modernising our agricultural research and development to en- sure the RDC system is delivering value for our levy and taxpayers into the future.”
Modernising the Re- search and Development Corporation system: Dis- cussion paper is available for comment until No- vember 4, 2019 at havey- oursay.agriculture.gov. au/modernising-rdc Discussion paper ques- tions
system delivering value for levy payers and tax- payers? In what ways?
• What are some of the benefits of keeping the same number of RDCs?
• What are some of the benefits of changing the number of RDCs?
• What are some of the cross-sectoral issues be- ing faced by the wider agricultural sector?
• How can RDCs in- crease collaboration to ensure better investment in, and returns from, cross-sectoral, transform- ative and public good re- search?
• What are the cultur- al changes necessary in RDCs to achieve a mod- ern fit-for-purpose RDC system?
• What other ways are there for increasing in- vestment in cross-secto-
ral, transformative and public good research?
• What is the best way for RDCs to engage with levy payers to inform in- vestment decisions?
• How can we encour- age increased investment in the RDC system from the private sector and in- ternational partners?
• How can we form stronger linkages be- tween the RDC system and the food value chain?
• What changes might encourage improved RDC collaboration with the private sector, includ- ing those outside the agri- cultural sector?
• Where should the bal- ance of investment be- tween R&D and exten- sion lie?
• How could RDCs play a stronger role in exten- sion service delivery, in
light of existing private and state government ex- tension efforts?
• How could RDCs help researchers, entrepre- neurs and others better engage with producers to accelerate uptake?
• How could industry and levy payers drive in- creased uptake of R&D?
• How might RDCs be able to increase their role in policy research and development and par- ticipate in policy debate alongside industry repre- sentative bodies?
• If RDCs were to play a greater role in this area how could this activity be clearly distinguished from partisan and politi- cal activity, which must remain a role for industry representative bodies?
• Is the
current
RDC
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Page 4 – National Poultry Newspaper, October 2019
www.poultrynews.com.au
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