Animal Health Australia (AHA) representatives and I had a productive week in Rockhampton for Beef Week – a huge event that only takes place every three years. It was a great opportunity to meet with many of our members and stakeholders. See our pop out below about Beef Week with some great photos from the week.  

Extension of member engagement regarding the AHA Constitution

The last major review of the AHA Constitution was undertaken in 2015, with the economic, regulatory and environmental landscape changed significantly since then. Considering this, the AHA Board agreed to begin a review of AHA’s constitution to ensure its currency and that it supports the organisation and our members into the future.

AHA commenced engagement with our members in 2023 and held one-on-one meetings with members in early 2024, with a view for members to vote on the constitutional changes at the General Meeting in June.

The AHA Board and Executive are appreciative of all feedback received and based on the feedback have committed to allowing additional time for member consultation and input into the proposed changes.

Next steps

• May to August: Executive will continue to meet with members, with feedback presented to the AHA Board in August.
• August: The Board will review member feedback and assess if any revisions to the proposed changes are required.
• August to November: AHA executive to conduct final consultation with members.
• November: Member vote on the AHA Constitution to take place at the AHA Annual General Meeting. 

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the current situation with the avian influenza response in Victoria. The Australian and Victorian governments and affected livestock industries are working closely together using well-established national response arrangements to manage this outbreak. Importantly these HPAI H7 strains are not the same as the H5 strain that is causing mass poultry and wildlife mortalities overseas. As Custodian of the EADRA, AHA is supporting affected members and fulfilling our appointed functions in a nationally cost shared emergency response.

The most accurate source for updates on the current situation can be found on the Agriculture Victoria and Outbreak.gov.au websites.

Download our Producer Factsheet on Avian Influenza

Thanks,

Dr Samantha Allan