Abstract

Traceability systems are increasingly central to ensure food safety, quality, biosecurity, and sustainability in agrifood supply chains. Despite advances in digital technologies, adoption and effective implementation remain uneven, with many producers still relying on paper-based systems. This study examines the motivations and conditions that enable or constrain the participation in traceability systems by Australian red meat and honey producers using the Digital Maturity Framework (DMF) as a diagnostic lens. Drawing on seven focus groups and five individual interviews involving a total of 73 producers and supply chain stakeholders from both sectors, the study investigates how value perceptions, technology and infrastructure, data analytics and management, capability, and data governance, influence producers’ engagement with traceability systems. Our findings indicate that while regulatory pressure and market opportunities incentivise adoption, several challenges persist, including high costs, limited digital skills, data sharing concerns, and sector-specific constraints. The red meat sector demonstrates higher digital maturity, driven largely by compliance mandates and an established regulatory system. In contrast, the honey bee sector exhibits more fragmented traceability adoption, challenged by the predominance of small-scale producers and limited trust in data sharing mechanisms. The comparison between two sectors reveals the influence of sectoral context. In particular, the regulatory frameworks and supply chain coordination play a relevant role in the adoption of traceability technologies. Overall, this research reveals the need for tailored policy and industry support, including regulatory harmonisation, improved data interoperability, digital infrastructure, and capacity-building initiatives to enable more consistent and broader traceability implementation across agrifood systems.

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