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Improving food traceability

By Contributed

Jul 11, 2026

Australia’s farmers are setting up a new group that will help track food and produce from paddock to plate.

The National Farmers’ Federation has been given federal government funding to create a new body that will coordinate how the agriculture industry keep tabs on where produce comes from and where it goes.

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While this traceability already happens, its inconsistent across the sector.

The new group’s job is to get everyone working from the same playbook, rather than duplicating effort or using systems that don’t talk to each other.

NFF chief executive Mike Guerin said the group wouldn’t be taking over from existing tracking systems, but would instead help industry and government tackle shared problems together.

He said better coordination mattered because most of what Australian farmers grow, more than 70 per cent ends up sold overseas.

International buyers are increasingly wanting proof of where their food came from and how it was produced.

“Farmers and supply chains already invest significantly in traceability,” Mr Guerin said.

“By improving coordination, we can better support practical implementation, share knowledge, reduce unnecessary duplication and maximise the value of those investments.”