Source : Murray Goulburn Cooperative

• The project focuses on improving delivery of best practice management in managing on farm risks as a part of an integrated farm business system. Initially the project is concentrating on food safety (meat and milk) and is building the mechanisms for providing evidenced based reporting with the cooperation of Dairy Food Safety Victoria
• This project builds on current Murray Goulburn information technology capabilities using its supplier information and reporting website, MGF@RM.
• Additional functionalities which synergise whole farm risk management systems with evidence based compliance reporting in areas such as animal welfare and environment management are also being developed.

Background: Project Delivery

Year One : Comprehensive investigation undertaken into the legislative requirements of the Acts and guidelines governing food safety (milk and meat) and a knowledge foundation built in the areas of animal welfare and occupational health and safety identify overlapping compliancy areas, for example in the area of chemical management.

Comprehensive investigation into the evidence based data currently held by suppliers through either a third party (i.e. Invoices or declarations) or manually collected.

Gap analysis between the previous two tasks undertaken and identification of ‘what’ and ‘how’ future evidence data will be required to meet compliancy requirements.

Establishment of a Supplier Liaison Group to provide input and share experiences to build the risk management program and tool.

Work with DFSV to develop the reporting parameters which will potentially meet compliance requirements via a single audit system.

Initial IT client interface designed for suppliers to trial collecting, saving, displaying and reporting evidence based data via an automated system.

Year Two : Establishment of a Gippsland based pilot group consisting of 20 suppliers to trial the program.

Pre trial evaluations undertaken to capture current resources, attitudes and expectations.

One on One farm based support provided by the project officer in the delivery of the program.

Demonstration farm established as a working example of the whole farm risk management areas in more detail and provide feedback for improvements in the program to better align regulatory authority requirements and farmer expectations.

Development of the full technology to gather third party and farmer evidence.

Production of automated reports from the supplier to the regulatory authority requirements and farmer expectations.

Evaluation undertaken to capture changes in resources, attitudes and expectations and evaluate the extent to which the program is efficiently and accurately meeting agency requirements.

Cost benefit analysis undertaken for Murray Goulburn Field Services, Murray Goulburn suppliers and partnership agencies.