Evan James, Arundel Meats - Australian Meat Industry Council

4 QLD
Member Services Manager Report
By Gail Butler
2010 is quickly drawing to an end; and a very busy year it
has been for AMIC. We are committed to providing our
members with the very best customer service and this has
been a high priority all year.
The promotional activity for 2010 has been very successful
with coverage of the Sausage King and Butchers Choice
proving to be more effective than previous years. This year,
many articles appeared in newspapers and magazines all over
the state promoting excellence in our industry. This increased
exposure across the region certainly helped to boost members’
profiles and profits.
Entries in the Sausage King, Butchers Choice, Ham, Bacon &
Smallgoods Competitions were up 23% from last year. Our State
Sausage Kings are off to the National Finals in Launceston in
February 2011 and we wish them every success.
An unintended outcome of the recent changes to Beef
Labelling laws in New South Wales is that “Budget Beef”
will now be called “Economy Beef” throughout Australia.
When the New South Wales Government enacted a requirement
that all Budget Beef must have the additional descriptor “low
grade” or “low quality,” AMIC took the initiative to change the
description at the retail counter to “Economy Beef.” No
amount of pressure or argument from AMIC could get this
ridiculous piece of legislation changed.
There is no legal requirement for you to change the description
of “Budget Beef” to “Economy Beef.” Neither is there any
requirement for you to add “low grade” or “low quality” if you
In Queensland we have a number of telemarketers targeting
our ILBs to purchase a number of products and services.
These include trying to sell non slip signs, hand wash
instructions, OH&S pages ($49), enrollment in a business trade
register ($298), and OH&S audits. Please do not participate in
this type of selling and do not give your credit card details over
the phone. Always ask for ID and credentials of salespersons who
enter your establishment. Please ring AMIC on (07) 3352 4600
if you are unsure if someone actually represents a legitimate
company or if you are unsure of whom you are dealing with.
Thank you to all our sponsors for their wonderful support in
2010. Without this support we would not be able to experience
growth and present an exciting year of events.
I would like to wish all members a prosperous and happy
holiday season with best wishes for a successful New Year.
“Budget Beef” now called “Economy Beef”
choose to keep the description “Budget Beef.”
The recommendation from the National Retail Council to
change to “Economy Beef” is based on commercial factors as
Supermarkets will use “Economy Beef” in advertisements and
point of sale labelling. The choice however, is yours.
AMIC and AUS-MEAT have collaborated in the production
of the Domestic Retail Beef Register which is a guide to
the labeling of beef products at the point of sale.
Developed to ensure compliance with the New South Wales
legislation, this is a useful guide for all AMIC Retail
members. A copy is available from the AUS-MEAT web site or
from your local AMIC office.