After more than two (2) decades of impeccable service and leadership, Ian King has stepped down from the Australian Government position of Chair of the United Nations (UNECE) Specialised Section for the Standardisation of Meat.

As the former CEO of AUS-MEAT and one of our industries most respected leaders, Ian has decided to step down after representing Australian at the UNECE for the past 26 years to spend more time with his family.

After joining the specialised section in 1997, Ian was elected to the role of deputy chair in 2000, and in 2014 was elected to the position of Chairman where he has continued to play a pivotal role in positioning Australia’s red meat sector in the global food trade.

During his tenure, Ian and the AUS-MEAT team including past and current employees Peter Evans, Rob Brown and Bruce Gormley have been instrumental in collaborating with the 55 member countries in the development, integration, and adoption of the trade description language into 14 different standards including the UNECE standards for beef, sheep and goat exports. This positions Australia as a global leader in the trade of meat products, but more importantly ensures barriers are reduced allowing meat exporters to trade using a uniform international meat trading language.

At the August round of meetings held in Geneva, Switzerland, Ben Robinson – General Manager of Meat Standards and Training Services at AUS-MEAT was nominated as Ian’s successor as Australia’s representative on the Specialized Section for the Standardization of Meat. Ben was successfully elected to the position of Vice Chair for the upcoming 12-month period, with Jacqueline Mason from the USA elected as Chair. The agenda for the next twelve months will see AUS-MEAT actively involved in a number of projects including a review of the UNECE sheepmeat standard as well as a continuation of the project to align product cut codes to the Harmonised Commodity Descriptions under the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

On behalf of AUS-MEAT, we thank Ian for his leadership and work in the area of meat standardisation, which has positioned the Australian industry for the future and ensures Australia’s high standing at the forefront, in the development of trade descriptions for global trade.

Pictured below outgoing chair of UNECE, Ian King with Ben Robinson