Speech - Red Meat Conference 2026

Speech - Red Meat Conference 2026

The conflict in the Middle East is pushing up fuel, freight and fertiliser costs. We know rural families are spending more of their income on fuel. And the longer it goes on, the harder it bites.

Speech opening Red Meat Conference 2026

Good morning. Thank you for having me to open this year’s conference. It’s good to be in a room with the people who grow it, process it and sell it to the world. Farmers, processors, exporters and the people who back them. I want to talk about one idea this morning. Grow more and sell more. That’s the job. For you and for us. Where we are Let’s start with where we’ve come from. When we came into office in late 2023, rural confidence was at minus…