Colin Smith was appointed chief executive officer of the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) 12 months ago.
He spoke to Agriland about the progress the organisation has made over the past year, attributing the significance of these results to the fact that the organisation is now fully resourced both at board level and from a staffing perspective.
Smith explained: “A full management and staffing team is now in place. The real impact work that we undertake on behalf of all levy payers will always be determined by the scale of the human resource available.
“And all of this will be driven by the policy engagement of the LMC board. And the fact that both facets of the commission are now working at full strength, after a period of time when this was not the case, will make a real difference moving forward.
“This is a period of major adjustment for the cattle and sheep sector. Fundamental change is already taking place, where farm support systems are concerned. The carbon and genetic improvement agendas must be actively addressed over the coming years. And, of course, beef and lamb markets are ever-evolving,” Smith continued.
“LMC will play a central role in developing these themes on behalf of all levy payers. And the good news is that we are extremely well placed to make this happen in the most effective way possible,” he added.
Getting back to basics
The last 12 months have seen Smith and his LMC board go back to basics by re-defining the organisation’s role within the agri-food sector and doubling down on its priorities for the future.
From a strategic perspective this commitment can best be summarised by the acronym: VALUE
- AdVocating and influencing policies and strategies to advance Northern Ireland’s beef and lamb sectors;
- Gathering and independently anAlysing high-quality data to deliver reliable information that can be trusted;
- DeLivering the tools our farmers and processers need to support the provenance, quality, and sustainability of Northern Ireland beef and lamb;
- Better informing consumers through edUcational activity that complement our industry partners;
- Ensuring LMC Engages effectively with its farmers and processers, responding at pace to their needs.
Smith further explained: “We have established our vision, mission, values, and desired strategic outcomes courtesy of a new, three-year strategic plan.
“And we are on course to fully deliver against year one of the strategy while still awaiting the procurement of a carbon calculator on the part of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
“The calculator will be used to deliver the department’s carbon foot printing project,” Smith added.
The last 12 months have also seen LMC securing sign-off on a new partnership agreement that sets out how the organisation engages with the DAERA as an non-departmental public body (NDPB).
Colin Smith concluded: “Significantly, this agreement also clarifies how the commission will operate at arms’ length to DAERA, thereby enabling us to deliver our mission.”
