worked in export abattoirs in WA, Victoria and Tasmania, mostly in small abattoirs, which meant that I had to take a lot of personal responsibility, especially in the areas of animal welfare and food safety. I came to Canberra in 1996 to work in the export meat program which was an exciting time of reform. I was working in the field of export certification when I was selected to take up an overseas posting in Seoul, South Korea from 2000-2003 and from there to Beijing, China from 2003-2006. This was an absolute highlight, to be working in Asia at a time of intense interest in the region. We had just commenced free trade agreement negotiations with China so I would regularly brief the Prime Minister and various Ministers as they came through. My children learnt Chinese and kept it up when we returned to Canberra. On my return I was promoted to lead the export meat and certification program where I remained until the 2011 Indonesian live cattle event. Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer (ACVO) at the time, Andy Carroll had just retired and I was asked to act in the role which was a very busy period as we developed the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System, which was applied initially to cattle exports to Indonesia and then to all our export markets for live cattle and sheep. Later that year I was confirmed in the role of ACVO. Very satisfying work for me to date has also been to help improve veterinary services in developing countries which supports our broader development goals. Veterinarians play a much larger role than simply improving animal health outcomes. Dr Mark Schipp delivering an intervention at the OIE General Session.
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