Red Meat Industry gives DEXA the tick
21 June 2017
Joint statement from the red meat industry.
Australia’s Red Meat Peak Industry Councils, representing cattle and sheep producers, lot feeders and red meat processors, have given their support to the introduction of objective measurement across industry, including the adoption of Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) technology, to provide a single scientific measurement of lean meat yield.
The endorsement followed the first “all industry” briefing, which included a progress report on the roll out of DEXA technology, organised by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) for processors and industry representatives last week.
The peak industry councils, and individual processors, endorsed further work on MLA’s proposal to rollout DEXA in all AUS-MEAT registered processing plants on a voluntary basis, including costings and installation requirements within individual facilities.
This work will allow peak industry councils and individual processors to consider the most appropriate funding model to deliver an industry-wide rollout, which may include levy funds from producers and processors, funds from individual processors, and the potential for matching Australian Government research dollars.
The meeting also endorsed the establishment of an Objective Carcass Measurement (OCM) adoption & commercialisation taskforce. The taskforce will assist in managing the various aspects of industry OCM adoption and commercialisation – dealing initially with DEXA and then subsequent OCM solutions, including eating quality aspects.
The taskforce will be chaired by respected industry expert Gary Burridge and include a representative of each peak industry council, other processors, a representative from MLA and the Australian Meat Processing Corporation (AMPC) and Graham Gardner from Murdoch University.
This collaborative approach to deliver OCM systems, including DEXA, is consistent with recent analyses of the technology, including a report from financial services firm EY commissioned on behalf of AMPC.
The adoption of OCM systems is also a key objective within the Meat Industry Strategic Plan (MISP 2020) which notes its potential to transform the red meat industry by improving efficiency.
The taskforce will hold its first meeting in the coming month.
