The Australian Barramundi Industry continues to grow in terms of production and key players in the industry have plans to invest further in production capacity. At the same time producers are facing increasing input costs, and (currently) stagnant market prices. Competition within the sector is increasing and smaller producers, and those unable to expand to achieve economies of scale, will be under increasing pressure. Growing the market and achieving higher prices remain key challenges for the ABFA and member businesses.
On the production side, the strategic plan needs to identify agreed priorities and actions to improve productivity, and prepare the sector for challenges and opportunities associated with biosecurity risks, skills and labour, animal health challenges, regulation, domestic and international commitments, and changing consumer preferences and community expectations.
Final report
This report documents the Australian Barramundi Farmers Association’s development of a strategic plan, incorporating a research and development plan, to guide the organisation's direction, focus, and investment priorities for the five years to July 2030.
The strategic plan has been developed in partnership with MCKINNA et al and in consultation with the ABFA Management Committee, with expert guidance by members of the ABFA’s marketing and promotions, and research and development committees, and valuable input of supply chain partners, service providers, and key stakeholders.
Development commenced at the end of October 2024 with a workshop of members, followed by data collection, desktop analysis, and a series of workshops and discussions to refine and prioritise actions under five key strategic platforms. The strategic plan was adopted by ABFA, June 2025.
Background
ABFA’s strategic plan 2020-2025 guided the organisation's direction and the investment since 2020, with a review of priorities in 2022 as the industry recovered from the COVID19 pandemic. With the plan expiring June 2025, coinciding with the ABFA and FRDC renegotiating the IPA for the next 5-year period, a new strategic plan was needed that was inclusive of a research and development plan.
Aims/objectives
To develop a strategic plan for the Australian barramundi farming sector for the period of 2025 to 2030.
Methodology
The strategy was developed over the period November 2024 through to June 2025.
The foundation for the development of the plan was a Strategic Situation Analysis (reported separately), which involved a deep dive into the strategic issues currently or likely to impact the industry within the horizon of the plan.
The insights from the strategic situation analysis report were distilled down to define the burning issues to be responded to in the plan through five strategic platforms.
A suite of actions to address burning issues were proposed, refined and prioritised with input from ABFA committees. A workshop was convened with the R&D committee in April 2025, to work through R&D component of the strategy.
The final strategy was adopted by the ABFA management Committee, June 2025.
Results/key findings
A comprehensive situation analysis undertaken by McKINNA et al in 2025 to inform this strategic plan indicated that the Australian farmed barramundi industry is at cross-roads, facing significant challenges. Supply is growing at a faster rate than can be absorbed by current demand, resulting in a significant price correction, and production costs have been rising faster than farmgate prices.
Biosecurity remains a critical issue for the sector, and preparedness to understand and respond to social licence concerns has become a higher priority. Attracting and retaining suitably skilled labour is an on-going struggle for the barramundi industry.
Internally, it is important that industry has an appropriate governance model to provide cohesiveness, leadership and stability as the industry grows
