Formed in 1985, the Corporation (MRC) was one of three agencies established by the Commonwealth Government for the Australian red meat industry, representing beef, sheep, buffalo and goats. The others are the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation (CA 2517), responsible for marketing and promotion, and the Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Policy Council, dealing with policy issues.

The Corporation consisted of 11 members, namely a Chairperson, a government member, the Executive Director and 8 other members, appointed from persons nominated by the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Selection Committee. It was funded by levies on livestock producers and meat processors, matched by contributions from the Commonwealth. Its role was to improve the productivity and market performance of the industry and to improve accountability for expenditure on meat and livestock research and development activities. Funds were provided by the Corporation for projects conducted by a wide variety of public and private organisations. Early projects involved mainly on-farm research such as pasture and livestock breeding and improvement. The later phase involved an emphasis on marketing, description and measurement of the product and automation of processing.

The Corporation formed three commercial vehicles with widely different functions and activities but with the common long-term aim of facilitating the transfer of research results to industry. Fututech Pty. Ltd. was formed in 1992 to facilitate the commercialisation of processing equipment and later the MRC, with CSIRO's cooperation, turned a section of CSIRO's Cannon Hill Meat Research Laboratory into a commercial company, called Australian Meat Technology Pty. Ltd., and also formed a development trust with bankers Hambro-Grantham, called the MRC Agribusiness Development Trust, to fund and market agricultural technological innovation.

Following the report of the Meat and Livestock Industry Reform Steering Committee and Task Force, established in May 1996, the Government announced in March 1997 a restructure of the Australian red meat industry's statutory organisations. Under provisions of the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry (Repeal and Consequential Provisions) Act 1997 new structural arrangements came into force 
on 1 July 1998.

Three existing statutory authorities - the Meat Industry Council, the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation (AMLC), and the Meat Research Corporation, were wound up. AMLC and the MRC were replaced by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) Limited, which undertakes marketing, promotion and research and development on behalf of the beef, sheepmeat and goatmeat industries. It also provides agreed services for processors and livestock exporters.

Sources:

Australian Meat and Live-stock Research and Development Corporation Act 1985, No.12 of 1985
Meat Research Corporation, Project Guide 1993-1994
MLA Limited, Industry News 1998
Media release, John Anderson, Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, DPIE 97/169A, 4 December 1997
Historical agency address
 1985-    : Aetna Life Tower, Hyde Park Square, Sydney 
?1993-1998: Level 6, 26 College Street, Sydney
Legislation administered
Australian Meat and Live-stock Research and Development Corporation Act, No.12 of 1985
Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry (Repeal and Consequential Provisions) Act 1997

Subsequent agency unregistered

1998: Meat and Livestock Australia Limited