The ag job more and more uni graduates are chasing

Unlike many of her colleagues at Midfield Meat International at Warrnambool in Victoria, however, she would never have guessed where her qualifications would take her while she was studying environmental science at university.

Having grown up in the suburbs of Melbourne, she had never been in a meat processing plant before work placement at the end of her studies.

Today she is the environmental and sustainability manager at Midfield, which means her daily job is as diverse as research and analysis on microbiology, food safety and quality assurance, compliance and regulation reporting, data analysis, creating emissions reductions strategies and, more recently, sustainability strategies that take in the environment but also people and communities.

She is passionate about her work and says her mission is to ensure that Midfield operates in an environmentally responsible and ethical manner and contributes to the well-being of its employees, customers, and communities.

With 10 years under her belt in a role that began as scientific officer, then taking over the environmental officer role and developing that into an entire department incorporating sustainability, she says meat processing is an industry that offers a plethora of opportunities for people with science, technology, engineering and math skills.

"We have a microbiological lab with technicians, a technical quality assurance manager with a biomed and hematology background and engineering and maths are huge with robotics and mechanical applications," she said.

For years, red meat processors have been increasing the number of technical skills and university-educated professionals employed, as they look to continuously improve their operations to keep pace with leading innovations and market opportunities.

To showcase the career opportunities the industry offers, its research and development body, the Australian Meat Processor Corporation has been running a campaign called More to Meat.

It has paid off.

Research is now showing Australians living near a meat processor regard the industry very favourably as an employer of STEM professionals.

On a national level, there was a 57pc favourability but that was ever stronger for regional communities where people live near a processor. In NSW, the favourability was at 62pc, in Queensland 59pc and in Victoria 58pc.

AMPC chief executive officer Chris Taylor said that while forecasted growth in red meat production represented an opportunity for processors, the research results were a positive for the whole industry.

"As the R&D partner of the red meat processing industry, AMPC works closely with processors across Australia to improve and create exciting jobs," he said.

"The industry's adoption of science, from improved quality assurance to advanced machinery, is creating new jobs and helping local farmers to deliver high-quality red meat.

"When you visit a processor, it's exciting to meet young professionals straight from university, putting their biology or chemistry-based degrees to work.

"It means the industry is creating more exciting jobs in regional communities across Australia. It's just as exciting to see kids get jobs in their town or people to move to our regions for a job in the industry."