John Noonan

Biography

John Noonan currently leads the Curtin University SQF program and has specific responsibility for the development of undergraduate, graduate and external activities that relate to the SQF program and other related Value Chain Management Systems activities. He comes to that role with a background of over ten year's involvement in the development and management of Quality Assurance programs in the Livestock and Grains industries and the SQF program. Mr Noonan sat on a number of consultative committees that assisted in the developekmenr management of the Australian Pork Industry Quality Program for which he is also was an auditor and facilitator. He also advises a number of major parties in the Australian Grains Industry on the application of Management Systems, HACCP and SQF, and has been instrumental in arguably the Worlds most ambitious whole of value chain food safety and quality certification project in the West Australian grains industry. John is internationally recognised for his skills as a HACCP and SQF Consultant and Trainer. A lifelong involvement in broad acre cropping and livestock farming is complimented through various roles in cereal testing laboratories, bakeries, biscuit and cake manufacturing and related food processing companies. From 1999 to 2001 Mr Noonan was the Australian Operations Manager for the SQF program with specific responsibilities for promotion and technical management of the program. Through that time he was involved in the training and development of Department of Agriculture staff in the application of the HACCP tool set in and EMS setting, including the development of a number of publications in the area. From 1997 to 2000 John was the principal author of the joint Department of Agriculture, DEP, Rivers and Waters Commission and Industry publication ‘ Environmental Code of Practice for New and Existing Piggeries" which was published in 2000. From 1987 to 1991 he worked on various, information systems, technical and support aspects of the West Australian Rangeland Monitoring System. Mr Noonan has travelled to North America, Europe and Japan to study and lecture on the implementation of integrated agribusiness value chain management systems. Mr Noonan graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1983 with a degree in Agricultural Science majoring in Agricultural Economics and continues to have an interest in hazard and risk management. He also has post graduate qualifications in Education, Agricultural Extension and Natural Resource Management. He has been a teacher at the primary, secondary and tertiary level.

Research Interest

The integration of food safety, quality, identity preservation, environmental management and welfare certification largely through the SQF program, and the development of more 'user friendly' approaches to the development and deployment of certifiable management programs in general; along with the use of strategic planning and faciliated learning to better address the impact of external influnces, such as hte imapcts of climate change, on the Resilience of Agribuisness and Farm Management are current interests.