P.PSH.0872 - Linking life-time objective welfare and slaughter measurement data to optimise meat quality
Australian Country Choice (ACC) continually collect information throughout an animal’s productive life with the assistance of RFID tag and reader technology.
| Project start date: | 30 June 2017 |
| Project end date: | 30 October 2023 |
| Publication date: | 06 May 2024 |
| Project status: | Terminated |
| Livestock species: | Grain-fed Cattle, Grass-fed Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | National |
Summary
This project will link carcase quality information at slaughter with life-time animal management, health and production data to identify risk factors associated with sub-optimal animal welfare as well as carcase quality at identified critical control points. It will produce a set of standards to optimise animal welfare in order to maximise meat quality. These guidelines will enable product to be branded to signify ‘best practice animal welfare’.
Objectives
The outcomes of this project are divided into four (4) phases which will take an integrated approach across all sectors including on-farm, feedlot and processing while considering the needs of the consumer (see additional information in additional details section):
Phase 1: Identify potential stressors which are likely to lead to carcass downgrade and sub-optimal animal health and welfare and investigate the feasibility of individual animal level tracking from farm to slaughter.
Phase 2: Implementation of health and husbandry interventions to address identified stressors and develop tracking methods for stressors/welfare conditions identified as being of greatest importance.
Phase 3: Develop and test an assessment tool which will be used to identify animals at greatest risk of having a downgraded carcass at slaughter.
Phase 4: Produce guidelines that enable product to be branded with a 'yellow tick' to signify "best practice animal welfare'.
Key findings
This project was terminated prior to completion and only the first five milestones were achieved.
Benefits to industry
The benefits of this project will not reach the industry as it was not completed.
MLA action
There is no final report to publish for this project, and this online summary will be published in place of it on the MLA R&D website.
Future research
Future research in this area will not be pursued at this time.
More information
| Project manager: | Christine Purdy |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
