David Palmer is a current CISS Board Director with extensive agricultural experience, as well as leadership and governance experience spanning 30 years.
While domiciled in Washington DC, David negotiated the beef and sheepmeat components to the Aus-US Free Trade Agreement; as a means to assist progress established with the Embassy the TRI-LAMB Group, designed to help safeguard Australian lamb imports.
The overall outcome has resulted in some of the most favoured access for Australian protein to the premier middle class market in the world.
Returning to Australia in 2006 David took up the position of Managing Director of Meat and Livestock Australia with overall responsibility of a $200 million annual budget; $80 million devoted to research and development.
Innovation is the lifeblood for agriculture, requiring 2% annual improvement in productivity to ‘just stay still’. Collaboration with other industries plus attracting private research investment were, and remain, features of the red meat investment strategy.
In 2016 comprised one of the three-person independent panel to review the Inter-Government Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB). Over 40 recommendations arose all of which were endorsed by Government.
He has a focus on sound administration, good governance of industry funds and a track record of proven communication skills at all levels in the Australian red meat sector. David has held State and Federal advocacy positions, currently holding a number of senior chair and director positions on associated livestock and agricultural industry boards and authorities.