Skip to Navigation MENU About MLA How we are funded About your levy VIEW MLA’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2025 About your levy Cattle, sheep and goat producers pay a transaction levy on the sale of their livestock. The levies are collected by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ Levies Service and distributed to MLA, Animal Health Australia (AHA) and the National Residue Survey (NRS). Processors, lot feeders and livestock exporters also pay levies. A portion of these levies are invested in MLA-managed R&D and marketing projects that deliver cross-sector benefits beyond the farm gate. Grassfed cattle MLA works with the Cattle Council of Australia. The grassfed cattle levy is invested in projects designed to increase on-farm productivity, profitability and sustainability of grassfed cattle producers. Grainfed cattle MLA works with the Australian Lot Feeders' Association to develop R&D and marketing strategies for the feedlot industry. Sheep MLA works with Sheep Producers Australia to increase on-farm productivity, profitability and sustainability of sheep producers. Goats MLA works with the Goat Industry Council of Australia, seeking producer input on levy investment and increasing the on-farm productivity, profitability and sustainability of goat producers. Supply chain MLA works with supply chain partners on projects that deliver value to the red meat industry beyond the farm gate. Investment breakdown In 2020–21 MLA plans to invest $293.8 million in research, development and marketing activities across six priorities. Livestock levies rates The table below shows the split of livestock levies. Commodity MLA (R&D) MLA (marketing) Animal Health Australia National Residue Survey Total Levies# Grassfed cattle $0.92 $3.66 $0.13 $0.29 $5.00 Grainfed cattle $1.50 $3.08 $0.13 $0.29 $5.00 Bobby calves $0.16 $0.48 - $0.26 $0.90 Sheep* 0.77% of sale price 0.87% of sale price 0.18% of sale price 0.18% of sale price 2% of sale price+ Lambs* 0.49% of sale price 1.20% of sale price 0.20% of sale price 0.11% of sale price 2% of sale price ++ Goats $0.167 $0.105 $0.045 $0.06 $0.377 # per head, per transaction *Where there is a defined sale price of $5.00 or more (no levies apply to sales of less than $5.00) + To a maximum of 20c. Where there is no defined sale price – 20c ++ To a maximum of $1.50. Where there is no defined sale price – 80c MLA cannot vary the levy schedule. If you have any questions about how transaction levies work, you should contact your local Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment Levies office toll free on: Central Office (Canberra) 1800 020 619 NSW/ACT/QLD 1800 625 103 SA/NT/WA 1800 814 961 VIC/TAS 1800 683 839 Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment Levies does not hold information on how much levy a producer has paid. Beef levy review 2009 The Beef Levy Review was conducted in 2009 to evaluate the effectiveness of the increased marketing component of the cattle transaction levy since 2006, and to determine the appropriate level of funding for beef marketing and trade development to ensure Australia's beef industry is competitively positioned. The review resulted in cattle producers voting to maintain the cattle transaction levy at the rate of $5 per head at the 2009 MLA AGM, with 72.5% of votes cast in favour of the resolution. Find out more about the Beef Levy Review 2009. Contact MLA 02 9463 9333 1800 023 100 info@mla.com.au Connect Terms of Use Privacy Cookies Glossary Careers Industry Links Help Sitemap MLA agreements Modern slavery statement © 2021 Meat & Livestock Australia Limited ABN 39 081 678 364 FEEDBACK Cookie consent × We use cookies on our website (including third party cookies) to analyse traffic, share information with analytics partners and provide you with the best experience possible. For details see our Privacy policy and our Cookies policy which were last updated in March 2019. By continuing to browse this site or by accepting below, you consent to the use of cookies. I ACCEPT