Under Standing Order 25 (2)(a)(v), the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee will inquire into and report on the current state of meat category branding in Australia, with particular reference to:

1. The management by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment of the legislative and regulatory framework underpinning the compulsory levy investment into meat category brands as declared through the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997, taking specific account of:
   1. The potential impairment of Australian meat category brand investment from the appropriation of product labelling by manufactured plant-based or synthetic protein brands, including:
      1. the use of manufactured plant-based or synthetic protein descriptors containing reference to animal flesh or products made predominately from animal flesh, including but not limited to “meat”, “beef”, “lamb”, and “goat”; and
      2. the use of livestock images on manufactured plant-based or synthetic protein packaging or marketing materials.
   2. The health implications of consuming heavily manufactured protein products which are currently being retailed with red meat descriptors or livestock images, including:
      1. consideration of unnatural additives used in the manufacturing process; and
      2. consideration of chemicals used in the production of these manufactured protein products.
   3. The immediate and long-term social and economic impacts of the appropriation of Australian meat category branding on businesses, livestock producers and individuals across regional, rural and remote Australia, including:
      1. the reliance upon imported ingredients;
      2. the support of regional employment; and
      3. the state and commonwealth taxation contribution from the Australian red meat and livestock sector.
   4. The implications for other Australian animal products impaired from the appropriation of product labelling by manufactured plant-based or synthetic proteins.
   5. any related matters.

The committee will present its report on or before the end of February 2022.

Submissions closed on 13 August 2021.

Please note that substantive submissions that explore the technical aspects of the terms of reference will be published, however the committee may decide that short statements be treated as correspondence and not published.