You're Invited
Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the excellence of Australian Wagyu, where you’ll also have the opportunity to taste this world-class beef. Discover everything there is to know about Wagyu — from marbling and grading standards to breed classifications and Australia’s leading producers.
Enjoy insights from Dr Alex Ball (PhD, BRurSci (Hons I), GAICD, Fellow ARLP ) and Dr Matt McDonagh (CEO of the Australian Wagyu Association), then hear from Aaron van den Heuvel, AWA Carcase Camera Technician, who will share with us the latest in MIJ camera for the Australian Market. Connect with fellow chefs as you taste a curated selection of Wagyu highlights.
Places are strictly limited — RSVP by Tuesday, 25th November to secure your spot and avoid disappointment.
Event Details
Date: Tuesday, 2nd December
Time: 4:30pm – 7:00pm
Location: Comcater, 46–60 Dunhill Crescent, Morningside QLD 4170
Places are strictly limited — RSVP by Tuesday, 25th November to secure your spot and avoid disappointment.
Dr Matt McDonagh
CEO
Australian Wagyu Association
Dr Matt McDonagh is CEO of the Australian Wagyu Association, the fastest growing breed development organisation in Australia. Matt was the first ever PhD graduate of the Beef CRC system in 1998, specialising in ruminant physiology, nutrition and muscle biology. He completed his post-doctoral research as a ruminant nutritionist with the US Department of Agriculture, before returning to Australia to run research teams with the Victorian and NSW Departments of Agriculture. In 2015, he was appointed the General Manager of on-farm R&D with Meat and Livestock Australia, restructuring the MLA R&D delivery program and establishing the national R&D consultation framework. Matt has been CEO at AWA since 2017. Since then, the Australian Wagyu Sector has demonstrated phenomenal growth, now estimated at a production value of more than $2 Billion. The AWA has been at the forefront of the innovation and technology delivery that is driving growth in Wagyu Sector. Matt’s focus has been driving collaboration with exceptional research and technology companies to enable additional value creation from AWA’s genetic and phenotypic resources. The AWA leverages allied technology to accelerate adoption and delivery for the more than 1,200 cattle business it supports.
Dr Alex Ball
PhD, BRurSci (Hons I), GAICD, Fellow ARLP
Alex has been a contributor to Australian agricultural industries, especially in red meat, over the last 29 years. During that period, he has demonstrated skills in RD&A program management, strategy development and implementation, portfolio analysis, industry engagement and consultation, industry representative structures, and corporate governance. More recently he has worked in natural capital, sustainability frameworks, ecosystem services and their implementation and evaluation. Alex has participated in the development and implementation of several national industry and cross-sectoral RD&E strategic plans, CRCs and RRFP projects as well as their review. Alex maintains an active interest in R&D, being an adjunct Professor at the University of New England (UNE). He is the chair of the Northern Tablelands LLS, a board member and FRAC member of the NSW LLS, chair of the NLIS device standard, a member of the Calfways Steering committee and an independent board member of Datagene.
Alex has an extensive network of industry contacts across Australian agriculture. Alex is a member of the Cattle Australia supply chain working group, ISC industry compliance and the NFF Farm Systems Committee as well as operating a beef breeding enterprise in Armidale NSW.
Aaron van den Heuvel
AWA Carcase Camera Technician
Aaron van den Heuvel is the Carcase camera technician for the Australian Wagyu Association and is highly skilled in the meat science and livestock industry with extensive experience in objective carcass grading, meat quality research, and technology implementation across commercial and research environments. During his time with the Wagyu Association, he plays a key role in the development, validation, and extension of objective grading technologies to support genetic progress and brand integrity within the Wagyu sector. In this capacity, Aaron liaises closely with producers, brand owners, processing plants, and research organisations to collect, analyse, and interpret carcass grading data. His work contributes directly to the commercialisation of innovative technologies and the advancement of data-driven decision-making across the beef supply chain, both domestically and internationally.
Prior to this role, Aaron served as a Senior Technical Officer in Meat Science at the University of New England. He was responsible for coordinating research projects, laboratory analyses, and sample collection for internal and external stakeholders, including Meat Standards Australia (MSA) and the Cooperative Research Centres for Sheep and Beef Industry Innovation. Here he also spear headed the development and expansion of the MSA ‘cook by cut’ methodology to include newly popular secondary cuts such as Briskets and Ribs in the Australian market.
Aaron holds a Bachelor of Agriculture (Animal Production) and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of New England. His career is underpinned by a commitment to advancing the Australian red meat industry through rigorous research, technological innovation, and effective collaboration between science and industry.
