Bunbury Mail

Mandy Matthews: Passionate advocate for the sheep industry

Mandy Matthews: Passionate advocate for the sheep industry
Mandy Matthews: Passionate advocate for the sheep industry

This is branded content for Meat & Livestock Australia.

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) is helping to create a network of industry champions who have the skills, knowledge and confidence to engage with the community and share the red meat industry's positive stories in authentic ways.

Meet Mandy Matthews, a local sheep producer who is connecting with her community to engage in positive, productive conversations about red meat. Regardless of whether we are producers, lot feeders, chefs, butchers, retailers or something else in our great industry, we can all play our part in sharing the great story of Australian red meat.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm from a sheep and cattle farm about an hour inland from New Zealand's central North Island, but now work in the sheep industry in WA. I'm a passionate advocate for the industry I grew up in.

What story are you sharing?

Our truth - why we do what we do, and what we're doing to improve. There are always ways to improve through management practices such as selectively breeding our Merinos so we can move away from mulesing. It's just being open and honest about our industry.

Honesty is the best policy. People respect the raw truth, not so much the sugar-coated version.

Why is this message important to you?

A lot of people eat meat but don't know where it comes from - I think it's important to have that connection to where your meat comes from.

How are you sharing your story?

It started with Instagram and then TikTok - I just start posting random videos from the farm. Once I started seeing some of the comments from people about the industry, I saw there was a need to create a connection between urban areas and the country.

I use a lot of videos on my social media - videos are definitely a better way to get things out and explain things more. For example, I did a video on tailing sheep to explain the process.

What have you learned along the way?

Honesty is the best policy. People respect the raw truth, not so much the sugar-coated version. Also, don't jump in to arguing with others on social media - one of the things I learned at the Livestock Leaders course was about value-based messages and thinking about things from the other person's perspective.

Connect with Mandy on:

Instagram - @miss_rae93

TikTok - @missrae93

For more information, head to mla.com.au/feedback to read the special edition of Feedback magazine filled with case studies from red meat ambassadors, resources on nutrition, fake meat, environment and integrity, and to get access to a free social media toolbox.

This is branded content for Meat & Livestock Australia.