V.DIG.2003 - Technical adviser for the adoption of the Disease and Defect data standards

Summary

This project provided support to companies who were looking to implement post mortem data collection using the Australian National Standard for the Development, Collection and Reporting of Animal Health Data. A number of meat processing companies have begun to collect animal health data at post-mortem inspection however, the ‘whole’ picture to implementation and adoption is complex and requires people change management, IT change management, time in motion studies, performance management, data analytics, post-mortem inspection knowledge, regulatory oversight understanding, training, verification and auditing skills.

Objectives

• Provide technical support and advice to processors and their meat inspection services around implementing the draft data standards from lairage to post-mortem inspection.
• Develop basic toolkits and questionnaires to support implementation and identify any support requirements for the adoption of the draft Australian National Standard for the Development, Collection and Reporting of Animal Health Data.
• Monitor and review the disease and defect data captured and collected by processing plants to identify any data inconsistencies or errors before this data is released back to producers.

Key findings

A questionnaire and toolkit were developed and implemented whilst supporting plants. Progress was made with these plants on the collection, recording and reporting of animal health disease and defect data to producers. This is a complex area of work and further support may be required by the processors and it is therefore expected that other companies will also require support.

Through the mapping of existing data collection to the draft Standard significant gaps in the current draft data standards were identified and passed to the working group updating the draft Standard.

Benefits to industry

The project has provided a questionnaire and toolkit to support processors in the collection, recording and reporting of animal health disease and defect data under the Australian National Standard for the Development, Collection and Reporting of Animal Health Data, including providing the benefits and drivers for this area of work.

MLA action

Due to the fact that the collection and reporting of Animal Health and Disease data holds significant financial incentives for the entire supply chain, further assistance to additional processors would ensure the majority of the red meat supply chain has implemented the standard.

Future research

The effective implementation of animal health data collection holds complexity at multiple points of the process and is multidisciplinary. For this reason, it is understandable that processors require support for this area of work, especially in understanding the short- and long-term commercial incentives for them. Whilst supporting the two plants in this project to implement the collection and recording of data it was clear that further support is required on the reporting of data to producers in a meaningful way that supports changes in husbandry practices and analysis of the data at a processing plant level to capitalise on the financial benefits of this area of work.