澳大利亚肉类与畜牧业协会（MLA）育肥场项目在2025–26财年持续将征费资金转化为可落地成果，赋能澳大利亚育肥产业。

该项目联合澳大利亚育肥场协会（ALFA），持续助力人才建设、动物健康、自动化技术与环境可持续领域的升级。

项目资金来源于谷饲牛征费以及澳大利亚政府配套资金，开展各类研发与技术转化项目，解决育肥场经营者面临的重点难题。

项目以MLA‑ALFA育肥场五年研发战略、MLA《2030战略规划》以及红肉咨询委员会《红肉2030》战略为指引，始终以向征费缴纳主体创造价值为核心。

2026财年，MLA围绕五大核心方向布局投入：人力、自动化、环境可持续、预防性健康与动物福利、育肥场生产效率及合规管理。

ALFA首席执行官克里斯蒂安·穆尔德斯表示，该项目最大优势是采用联动式思路，同步响应多项行业重点需求。

“五大支柱搭建了务实框架，保障MLA育肥场项目聚焦行业真正关切的问题。”他说道。

“这个项目的亮点在于，各板块并非割裂推进。”

“相互之间存在紧密关联。”

多个项目从前期研发阶段迈向商业化应用；长期研究产出重要结论，同时一批新项目落地，助力划定行业未来发展方向。

人力能力建设仍是重点投入方向。

MLA持续依托行业线上培训与职业发展平台Feedlot TECH投入资源、助力人才培养，本年度平台用户增至3596人。

单模块课程报名量达到283人次，课程完成率稳定在63%，表现良好。

年内共完成十门课程的开发工作，其中五门已正式上线，剩余五门将择期推出。

Feedlot TECH虚拟导览是一款交互式学习工具，用于展示育肥场运营模式与规范化管理方案，累计访问量超4700人次。

多项技术项目也逐步向产业实际应用落地。

料槽扫描技术依托摄像头与人工智能评估料槽情况，辅助饲喂决策，目前已在澳大利亚各育肥场布设13台设备，服务约43.2万头牛只。

牲畜监测管理平台FeedMetrix 2.0进入实机试点阶段，DeliverEase 2.0正在推进系统集成，助力提升牲畜转运与场内作业效率。

新一代气象预测系统完成试点数据采集，后续计划部署至澳大利亚八家育肥场。

克里斯蒂安表示，能够带来明确商业收益的技术，最容易在行业内推广普及。

“自动饲喂管理、动物健康监测、性能提升等领域已经涌现出不少潜力可观的成果。”他说。

“当下的难点，是筛选成效突出的方案，并推动全行业落地应用。”

以上项目印证，自动化与数字化技术能够帮助商业化育肥场提升人力使用效率、优化决策水平，改善牲畜管护与场内运营管理。

环境可持续仍是2026财年的重点投入领域。

相关研究聚焦减排、异味管控，同时挖掘育肥场资源增值路径。

利用氢的益生菌研究项目本年度取得重大进展。

科研人员完成1000余株微生物分离株的特性分析，筛选出约10个重点候选菌株开展后续评估。

该研究旨在研发新技术，降低牛只甲烷排放并提升生产性能。

评估低剂量甲烷减排饲料添加剂3‑NOP的大栏试验也已收官。

项目积累了多年连续数据集，为行业后续的排放管控决策提供支撑。

异味检测与模型构建研究持续推进，帮助业界掌握封闭式育肥棚舍的异味产生规律，为后续管控方案提供依据。

粪污与废液资源化技术研究的最终报告落地，为后续投资划定基准。

研究成果指明资源利用优化方向，助力育肥场实现更可持续的运营。

2026财年，牛只健康与福利领域取得多项重要阶段性成果。

针对多杀性巴氏杆菌、睡眠嗜血杆菌以及牛支原体的自家疫苗田间试验，证实亚临床病症发生率显著下降。该结果为育肥场疫病防控、改善牛只健康状况的新型方案提供有力支撑。

一项枯草芽孢杆菌益生菌评估项目完成大规模试验，试验牛只数量达8000头，考察该益生菌在育肥阶段对牛只健康与生长性能的增益效果。

封闭棚舍相关研究同步推进。

在查尔斯特大学试验育肥场，一项研究棚舍内饲养密度与垫料投放量对牛只生长、健康及胴体指标影响的项目，已完成6组试验中的3组。

育肥场科研转化与示范项目（RAAD）于2026年3月启动，旨在加快科研成果与最优管理方案在育肥行业落地推广。

RAAD项目首期遮阳棚相关资金申报中，2026财年已有3个项目获批，另有4个项目处于规划审批阶段。

克里斯蒂安表示，ALFA遮阳工程印证了科研成果可以转化为可量化的商业收益。

“研究已经证实可以带来明确的生产效益。”他说。

“2025年新增遮阳设施覆盖518305头牛，预计将在2025–2026年夏季为澳大利亚育肥场带来约2810万澳元的额外收益。”

《待育肥牛只前期准备最佳实践指南》编制完成，并于2026年6月正式发布。

该指南为养殖户和育肥场提供实操指引，助力做好牛只入栏前管护，保障牛只健康、福利与生长表现。

MLA育肥场项目持续推动经过科研验证的饲养方案落地，以此提升行业生产效率与运营水平。

短期待宰暂养模式在行业的应用规模持续扩大，试验牛只数量由25财年的700350头增长至26财年的826730头。

一项冬季环境专项研究表明，该模式可提升所有市场品类牛只的标准热胴重。

国内销售牛胴重提升2.62千克，短期育肥出口牛提升4.64千克，长期育肥出口牛提升1.66千克。

研究同时发现，国内品类与短期育肥出口品类的黑切肉发生率有所下降，且未检出对食品安全的负面影响。

经济效益分析显示该模式具备商业价值：国内牛预估每头增加毛收益13.65澳元，短期育肥出口牛每头增加44.95澳元，长期育肥出口牛每头增加20.37澳元。

上述结果印证了缩短屠宰前停食时长的价值，为行业推广该模式提供更多依据。

胴体终点分级模型项目于本年度收官。

该项目产出分品种专项数据，提升胴体组成预判准确度，助力优化饲养管理与销售决策。

科研团队还在持续评估新一代增效技术LactiProEDGE，验证其在育肥场景下改善牛只健康与生产表现的潜力。

一项大规模商业化研究完成首轮测试，计划设置36个试验栏，本项目年度内完成其中12栏试验。

试验仍在推进，后续将继续在商业化场景下验证该技术对生产效率与牛只健康的增益效果。

德勤经济研究所更新发布第五版《育肥场区域投资研究报告》，凸显该产业的价值远不止局限于养殖场端。

报告显示，2023–24财年，育肥产业为澳大利亚经济创造46亿澳元增加值，带动约24000个全职岗位。

该产业承担全国36%的牛只屠宰量，贡献澳大利亚牛肉出口总量的25%。

研究展现出育肥场为地方社区以及整个牛肉价值链带来的连锁效益。

模型测算显示，在昆士兰州西部唐斯地区新建一座存栏3万头的育肥场，可为当地新增2500万澳元经济增加值，年均稳定提供283个全职等效岗位，为地方社区带来可观经济效益。

研究结论印证，育肥场除生产优质牛肉之外，还对就业、区域发展、加工企业、放牧经营主体以及澳大利亚各地地方社区起到重要支撑作用。

澳大利亚育肥场协会主席格兰特·加里表示，这份报告证明育肥产业的影响力早已超出场区边界。

“我们的产业带动地方社区就业与经济活动，辐射谷物供应、运输、动物保健、设备、维保、屠宰加工以及各类配套服务业。”他说道。

“这份独立第三方出具的效益佐证，有助于我们向政府、地方社区及其他相关方阐明本产业的重要性。”

接下来工作重心将放在保障MLA的各项投入持续为育肥场经营者以及整个牛肉产业带来实效。

克里斯蒂安认为，育肥行业最大的机遇，就是加快科研成果落地，让育肥场切实获益。

“育肥行业已经拥有扎实的科研基础，但下一步我们要证明创新带来的商业价值，让企业有信心采纳新技术与管理方案。”他说。

“说到底，我们需要反复自问一个简单问题：这项成果能否真正为育肥场创造实质性改变？”

新兴技术、持续的人才培养以及成熟管理方案的推广，仍将是核心工作重点。

后续投入会继续围绕生产效率、可持续发展与动物福利，助力提升行业长期竞争力。

格兰特提出，保持科研端和商业化育肥场的紧密联动，是行业长久发展的关键。

“我们的目标始终是把研究转化成成果，助力各家企业做强、提升整个产业的竞争力。”他表示。

“征费缴纳主体可以放心，目前项目布局广泛，并且越来越聚焦为企业、牛只以及所在地方社区创造实际价值。”

MLA与ALFA将持续投入研发解决方案，应对当下挑战、把握发展机遇，助力澳大利亚育肥行业行稳致远。

消息来源：MLA

The Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Feedlot Program continued to turn levy investment into practical outcomes for Australia's feedlot sector throughout the 2025–26 financial year.

In partnership with the Australian Lot Feeders’ Association (ALFA), the program continued to support advancements in workforce development, animal health, automation and environmental sustainability.

Funded through grainfed cattle levies and matched investment from the Australian Government, the program delivered research, development and adoption initiatives that addressed the priorities and challenges facing lot feeders.

Guided by the five-year MLA-ALFA Feedlot Research and Development Strategy, MLA's Strategic Plan 2030 and the Red Meat Advisory Council's Red Meat 2030 strategy, the program maintained a strong focus on delivering value to levy payers.

Throughout FY26, MLA invested across five key pillars including; labour, automation, environmental sustainability, preventative health and wellbeing, and feedlot productivity and compliance.

ALFA CEO Christian Mulders said one of the program's greatest strengths was its ability to address multiple industry priorities through a connected approach.

"The five pillars give us a very practical framework for making sure the MLA Feedlot Program is addressing the issues that matter to the industry," he said.

"What I like about the program is that these areas aren't being treated in isolation.

“There are strong connections between them."

Several projects progressed from early-stage development towards commercial applications. Long-term research delivered valuable findings and new initiatives emerged to help shape the future direction of the industry.

Building skills and advancing technology

Workforce capability remained an important area of investment.

MLA continued to invest and support workforce capability through Feedlot TECH, the industry's online training and professional development platform, which expanded to 3,596 users during the year.

Enrolments increased to 283 per module and course completion rates remained strong at 63 per cent.

Ten courses were completed through the year’s development program with five of those courses launched. The remaining five courses are staged for release at a later date.

The Feedlot TECH Virtual Tour, an interactive learning tool designed to showcase feedlot operations and best-practice management, was accessed by more than 4,700 users.

Several technology projects also progressed towards practical industry use.

Bunk-scanning technology, which uses cameras and artificial intelligence to assess feed bunks and support feeding decisions, expanded to 13 operational scanners across Australian feedlots to support approximately 432,000 head of cattle.

FeedMetrix 2.0, a livestock monitoring and management platform, entered live pilot operation and DeliverEase 2.0 is advancing through system integration to support more efficient livestock handling and operational processes.

A next-generation weather prediction system also completed pilot data collection ahead of planned deployment across eight Australian feedlots.

Christian said technologies that delivered a clear commercial benefit would have the greatest impact on industry adoption.

"There are some really promising outcomes emerging from work in areas such as automated feed management, animal health technologies and performance-enhancing technologies," he said.

"The challenge now is to take the strongest results and turn them into adoption across the industry."

The projects demonstrated how automation and digital technologies could support labour efficiency, improve decision-making and enhance animal and operational management across commercial feedlot businesses.

Supporting environmental performance

Environmental sustainability remained a key area of investment throughout FY26.

Research focused on reducing emissions, improving odour management and identifying opportunities to extract greater value from feedlot resources.

A project investigating hydrogen-utilising probiotics made significant progress during the year.

Researchers characterised more than 1,000 microbial isolates and identified approximately 10 priority candidates for further assessment.

The research aimed to support the development of new technologies capable of reducing methane emissions from cattle and increasing productivity.

A large-pen trial evaluating a lower dose of the methane-reducing feed additive 3-NOP was also completed.

The project delivered a valuable multi-year dataset to support future industry decision-making regarding emissions management.

Research into odour measurement and modelling continued throughout the year. This project is improving the understanding of odour generation within sheltered feedlot systems and is helping inform future management approaches.

A final report examining manure and effluent value-adding technologies established a baseline for future investment.

The findings identified opportunities to improve resource utilisation and support more sustainable feedlot operations.

Improving cattle health and wellbeing

Several important animal health and wellbeing milestones were achieved within FY26.

Field trials of autogenous vaccines targeting P. multocida, H. somni and M. bovis delivered measurable reductions in subclinical disease. The results provided encouraging evidence for new approaches to preventing disease and improving animal health outcomes in feedlot settings.

An evaluation of a Bacillus subtilis probiotic was completed following a large-scale study involving 8,000 head of cattle. The project examined the probiotic's potential to support cattle health and performance during feeding.

Research into covered housing is also progressing.

At Charles Sturt University's research feedlot, three of six trial cohorts were completed as part of a project investigating the effects of stocking density and bedding rates on cattle performance, health and carcase characteristics under shelter.

The Feedlot Research, Adoption and Demonstration (RAAD) program commenced in March 2026. The program was designed to accelerate the adoption of research outcomes and best practice management across the feedlot sector.

The initial round of funding within the RAAD program for shade and shelter has approved three projects during FY26 with a further four progressing through planning and approval stages.

Christian said the ALFA Shade Initiative demonstrated how research could translate into measurable commercial returns.

"The research shows a measurable productivity benefit," he said.

"The 518,305 cattle newly provided with shade in 2025 are projected to generate around $28.1 million in additional returns to Australian lot feeders over the 2025-26 summer."

The Feeder Cattle Preparation Best Practice Guide was completed and launched in June 2026.

The guide provides producers and lot feeders with practical guidance to support cattle preparation, health, wellbeing and performance.

Turning research into productivity gains

The MLA Feedlot Program continued to support the adoption of research-backed practices to improve productivity and operational performance within the sector.

Industry uptake of short duration lairage continued to grow with an increase from 700,350 head in FY25 to 826,730 head in FY26.

A further study conducted under winter conditions found the practice increased hot standard carcase weights across all market categories.

Carcase weights increased by 2.62kg in domestic cattle, 4.64kg in short-fed export cattle and 1.66kg in long-fed export cattle.

The study also found lower rates of dark cutting in the domestic and short-fed export categories. No adverse impacts on food safety were identified.

Economic analysis highlighted the commercial benefits of the practice. Additional gross revenue was estimated at $13.65/head for domestic cattle, $44.95/head for short-fed export cattle and $20.37/head for long-fed export cattle.

The findings reinforced the value of reducing time off feed prior to processing and provided further evidence to support industry adoption.

The Carcase Endpoint Sorting Model project was completed during the year.

This project delivered new breed-specific data to help improve the accuracy of carcase composition predictions and support more informed management and marketing decisions.

Researchers also continued evaluating LactiProEDGE, a next-generation performance technology being assessed for its potential to improve animal health and production outcomes in feedlot systems.

A large-scale commercial study completed its first round of testing with 12 of the planned 36 pens finalised during the program year.

The trial remains underway with further research set to assess the technology's productivity and animal health benefits at a commercial scale.

Demonstrating the value of feedlots

The fifth Regional Feedlot Investment Study, updated by Deloitte Access Economics, highlighted the sector's contribution well beyond the farm gate.

The study found that in FY23-24, the feedlot industry added $4.6 billion in value to the Australian economy and supported approximately 24,000 full-time jobs.

The sector further accounted for 36% of the national cattle slaughter and contributed 25% of Australia's total beef exports.

The research demonstrated the flow-on benefits feedlots delivered to regional communities and the wider beef value chain.

Modelling shows that a new 30,000-head feedlot in Queensland's Western Downs could generate an additional $25 million in regional value, support an average of 283 full-time equivalent jobs annually and deliver significant economic benefits to regional communities.

The findings reinforced the important role feedlots played not only in producing high-quality beef, but also in supporting employment, regional development, processing businesses, grazing enterprises and local communities across Australia.

ALFA President Grant Garey said the study highlighted the contribution feedlots make well beyond the feedlot gate.

"Our industry supports employment and economic activity across regional communities, including through grain, transport, animal health, equipment, maintenance, processing and a wide range of other services," he said.

"Having independent evidence of this contribution helps us communicate the importance of the sector to governments, regional communities and other stakeholders."

What’s next?

The focus now shifts to ensuring MLA investments continue to deliver practical benefits for feedlot operators and the broader beef industry.

Christian said the biggest opportunity for the feedlot sector lay in accelerating the translation of research into practical outcomes for lot feeders.

"We have a strong research base across the feedlot industry, but the next step is making sure we can demonstrate the commercial value of innovation and give businesses the confidence to adopt new technologies and management practices," he said.

"Ultimately, the question we need to keep asking is simple: will this make a meaningful difference to a feedlot business?"

Emerging technologies, ongoing workforce development and the adoption of proven management practices are expected to remain key priorities.

Future investment will continue to support productivity, sustainability and animal wellbeing while helping strengthen the industry's long-term competitiveness.

Grant said maintaining a strong connection between research and commercial feedlot operations would be critical to the industry's future viability.

"The objective should always be to translate research into outcomes that strengthen individual businesses and the competitiveness of the wider sector," he said.

"Levy payers should be encouraged by the breadth of activity underway and the increasing focus on delivering practical value for their businesses, their cattle and the regional communities in which they operate."

MLA and ALFA will continue to invest in solutions that address current challenges and opportunities to position Australia's feedlot sector for future success.

Source：MLA