- Australia is investing AUD2.5m to strengthen ag traceability.
- NFF will lead a new industry traceability governance body.
- Standards Australia will roll out a national digital data-sharing protocol.
The investment comes as agricultural, fisheries and forestry exports are forecast to reach a record value of around AUD86bn (USD59.7bn) in 2025-26, with the government pointing to strong traceability systems as key to maintaining that access.
“Better traceability means better opportunities for Australian farmers,” said Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins.
“Agricultural, fisheries and forestry exports were forecast to reach a record value of around $86 billion in the last financial year, and our government will continue to invest in strong traceability systems that are essential to maintaining access to premium international markets.
“Consumers, trading partners and regulators around the world are placing greater emphasis on traceability, and these initiatives will help ensure Australian agriculture remains at the forefront of meeting those expectations.”
New governance group
The funding will be split into two parts. The first and larger portion of AUD1.95m (USD1.36m) has been awarded to the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) to establish a successor to the Australian Agricultural Traceability Governance Group (AATGG).
The NFF has welcomed the Australian government’s investment in strengthening Australia’s agricultural traceability systems.
The new body will bring together governments, industry and supply chain participants to coordinate improvements to Australia’s traceability systems, taking over work previously done by the AATGG.
“Our role is not to replace existing traceability systems. It is to provide the governance, coordination and engagement that supports implementation of the National Agricultural Traceability Strategy and helps industry and governments address shared challenges together,” said NFF CEO Mike Guerin.
Guerin said strengthening coordination would help ensure Australia remained well positioned to meet growing domestic and international expectations for traceability.
He noted that more than 70 per cent of what Australian farmers grow ends up in overseas markets, making coordinated traceability increasingly important to meeting international buyer and regulator expectations.
“Farmers and supply chains already invest significantly in traceability. By improving coordination, we can better support practical implementation, share knowledge, reduce unnecessary duplication and maximise the value of those investments,” he said.
A national digital standard
The remaining funds, worth AUD534,791 (USD371,289), go to Standards Australia to lead the national rollout of the Australian Agricultural Traceability Protocol (AATP).
AATP is a digital standard designed to support consistent, reliable data-sharing across agricultural supply chains.
The protocol was developed through the Data Enabled Traceability Proof of Concepts (AgTrace) project and piloted by AgTrace Australia across several agricultural industries.
It will operate as a public good, with no licensing costs or restrictions, allowing any part of the sector to adopt it.
Standards Australia will take on governance, administration and sector-wide rollout of the protocol.
The government said these investments would reduce compliance burdens for farmers through more streamlined data practices, improve interoperability across supply chains, strengthen confidence in provenance and sustainability claims, and support faster responses to biosecurity incidents.
