New workforce strategy for Australia’s $8 billion+ chicken meat industry

Today marks the release of the first workforce strategy for Australia’s chicken meat industry, developed by AgriFutures Australia in conjunction with the Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF)

The strategy aims to deliver a diverse, sustainable, and thriving workforce for the chicken meat industry through a focus on attracting people to the industry, identifying critical industry roles and creating clear career pathways, while delivering new learning and development opportunities at both an industry and organisational level.

Australia’s chicken meat industry continues to be a significant employer with over 58,000 individuals employed directly and indirectly, many in regional and regional communities as well as metropolitan areas. Moreover, the industry’s economic outlook remains strong, with the gross value of poultry meat production estimated to increase by 2% to $3.9 billion in 2024–25, and an estimated retail value of over $8 billion and growing.

AgriFutures Australia Senior Manager Levied & Emerging Industries – Chicken Meat, Amanda Olthof, said the strategy is focused on the workforce supporting the entire chicken meat supply chain, from breeding farms to the final product ready for consumers.

“The strategy highlights critical roles and career pathways that are integral to the daily operation of a buoyant and productive supply chain in order to bolster long-term industry prosperity,” Ms Olthof said.

“Key components of the strategy include initiatives to attract and retain talent, enhance training programs, and support the welfare and development of employees by offering a secure, safe and sustainable employment option for people.”

“As with other industries, labour shortages in agriculture and across rural and regional communities is an   ongoing challenge, and this strategy addresses those issues head on, encompassing the entire workforce to ensure that every individual involved in the industry can benefit from the proposed workstreams.”

CEO of the ACMF, Dr Mary Wu, said the next three to five years presented a period of opportunity for the chicken meat industry by retaining current employees and attracting individuals with unique skillsets to help the industry fulfill its ambitions.

“Ongoing investment in the skills and capabilities of our people is more crucial than ever, especially in a highly competitive labour market, and importantly in the case of Australia’s food security, an ongoing and increasing demand for the high-quality products we produce” Dr Wu said.

“As the average Australian consumes more than 50kg of chicken meat on an annual basis, it is important to recognise that a more productive, dynamic, and competitive sector relies on investments in the capabilities of people, which in turn enables the industry as a whole to seize the opportunities that flow from growth and transformation.

“We look forward to implementing the Chicken Meat Industry Workforce Strategy progressively over the short, medium and long term, to support the sector now and into the future”.

Safety Smart Award Program Launch

As part of the new workforce strategy, ACMF have been working with ProTen to launch the first Safety Smart Award program for individuals and businesses in the broiler chicken farming sector.

This is the first safety awards program to recognise leading safety initiatives specifically for this critical section of the poultry industry.

The program aims to:

• Highlight excellent safety practices and culture.
• Build safety leadership capabilities within the sector.
• Promote a proactive approach to safety management.

ProTen CEO, Mr James Wentworth, said that the initiative seeks to create a safer working environment and contribute to the overall improvement of industry safety standards.

“The Safety Smart Award will honour individuals or businesses that actively promote safety improvements on broiler chicken farms. This includes tangible improvements, specific safety initiatives, or changes in practices and/or safety culture,” Mr Wentworth said.

“A prize of $5000 will be awarded to the best initiative by a panel of WHS representatives from across the industry.”

Click for further information on the Australian Chicken Meat Workforce Strategy
find out more about the ProTen Safety Smart Award

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