APL was excited to once again be a Principal Supporter of the 2024 Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association (ICMJ) National Conference in Wagga Wagga.

ICMJ is a not-for-profit association which aims to provide an opportunity to inspire and educate the next generation of Australian red meat industry leaders. 

The event kicked off on Tuesday night with a Pork & Talk networking dinner, featuring delicious product from the SunPork Group - With APL's CEO Margo Andrae giving an inspirational speech on her career pathway and the challenges she has faced. 

Day 2 saw speakers from across multiple meat supply chains including a Q&A Panel discussion with APL’s Rowena Davis, providing insights and background into the pork industry. APL also gave a presentation on innovation and sustainability in the pork supply chain. Students enjoyed a beautiful lunch provided by Linley Valley Pork.

On the Thursday, students had their skills tested, judging pork pork provided by Rivalea Australia and lamb carcass for their traits, quality and yield. It was great to see the calibre of students who continue to enter this program. 

The day ended with the students careers fair where 40 businesses, including the APL team, had great engagement from students showing interest in the pork industry and career pathways available. 

On the Friday afternoon competitors were treated to a pork carcass utilisation demonstration from butcher Shannon Walker, educating how to break down a pork carcass and how to make the most of every kilo with value adding. 

The week ended on Saturday night with APL sponsoring the awards for the pork classes, a big congratulations to Clarendon College from Texas who were the overall winning team for pork.