Australia to probe competition in beef sector 

Australia’s competition watchdog is launching an investigation into competition in the Australian beef and cattle industry. 

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today (7 April) detailed the scope of the study and called on “interested parties” to submit evidence to the review. “I encourage anyone involved in the cattle and beef industry to read the issues paper, and provide the ACCC with a written or oral submission,” ACCC commissioner Mick Keogh said.

The ACCC said it will be looking at competition between cattle buyers and suppliers of processed meat to downstream consumers, potential “bottlenecks” where power is concentrated at certain points down the supply chain; and the difference in bargaining strength down the supply chain. The ACCC said it will also probe the distribution of profits between cattle farmers, food processors and retailers as well as any barriers to entry and expansion in cattle processing. 

The ACCC added that a draft review will likely be published in September this year, with a final report to follow. 

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