Issues and programs: Levies

The Goat Industry Council of Australia (GICA) is responsible for managing and making recommendations to the Minister on the distribution of the goat transaction levy income. The transaction levy funds Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Animal Health Australia (AHA) and the National Residue Survey (NRS).

Legislation stipulates that the transaction levy is collected at a rate of 37.7 cents per head. This is divided among the following levy funded organizations according to the following split:

• MLA Marketing = 16.7 cents
• MLA Research and development = 10.5 cents
• Animal Health Australia = 4.5 cents
• National Residue Survey = 6 cents

The levy funded organisations planning and expenditure programs are overseen by GICA.

Levy investment

MLA invest grower levies in the following core programs:

• Building demand for our products.
• Guaranteeing the integrity of our products.
• Providing infrastructure to support a competitive industry.
• Developing an internationally competitive supply of our products.
  

AHA invest grower levies in the following core programs:

• National Animal Health Information Service.
• National Arbovirus Monitoring Program.
• National Transmissible Encepalopathy Surveillance Program.
• National Ovine Johnes Disease Program.
• Exotic Animal Disease Preparedness.

NRS invest grower levies in the performing the following functions:

• Providing an independent, authoritative and scientifically rigorous audit of the chemical residue status of the Australian goat industry.
• Facilitating export certification and compliance with Australian legislative requirements.
• Providing scientific advice on residues and the management of residue related issues.

Reports on the performance of levy funded organisations are closely monitored by the GICA as is the flow of levy funds to these organisations.