AFIA Activities and Benefits

Print version

31 Aug 2006
By Colin Peace

A national organisation focused on quality and profitability

For further information please refer to our membership brochure under "Forms".

The Australian hay and silage industry produces around $1.3b of quality fodder each year. The Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) is the peak national body for this industry and aims to:

• Represent the industry on important issues

• Sustain a profitable industry

• Promote objective testing

• Promote R & D via the RIRDC

AFIA members are a rare ‘whole of supply chain’ blend of fodder producers, contractors, consumers, traders, exporters, grower organisations, machinery manufacturers, input suppliers, state government departments and testing laboratories. This unique composition lets AFIA consider the whole picture when dealing with fodder industry issues.

Our diverse membership means people and organisations join AFIA for a range of reasons. They list the following as the most common reasons for being an AFIA member:

• Valuable member and industry contacts

• Contractor Codes of Practice

• Quarterly newsletters

• Support of industry lobbying

• Free vendor declaration forms

• Free listings on AFIA web site

• Discounted AFIA event registration

• Access to study tours, latest research results

• Industry benchmarking

AFIA Activities

As the national peak body for the fodder industry, AFIA fulfills a number of important roles. Some of these roles are tangible, such as R & D, and others are less tangible, but equally important, such as creating a sense of an industry through the distribution of information; the organisation of conferences and seminars; and promoting a professional industry embracing best practice.

AFIA conferences and seminars

AFIA holds one major conference and a number of smaller seminars across Australia each year. The conference typically takes place over a number of days and includes international speakers and industry tours.

Many of our members cite the conference and seminars as being one of the main benefits of AFIA membership. They not only gives access to world’s best practice information, but they forge relationships across the country and around the globe.

An industry for the future

As the profile of AFIA increases and the industry continues to advance, AFIA is embracing challenges that will determine the future of our industry. Most important of these include:

• Achieve greater transport efficiencies – there is potential to save the industry over $60m via expanded load limits. AFIA is working with stakeholders to achieve this.

• Establish an industry levy to fund R & D into crop and pasture varieties; plant diseases, weed and pest control; harvesting and processing technologies; storage and handling methods; and developing new markets.

• Enhance our existing partnerships with government and industry through ongoing liaison and management of joint funded projects that advance our industry.

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