Cattlecare revamp critical for wider industry adoption

摘要

The beef industry's quality assurance program, Cattlecare, has been undergoing a comprehensive review over the past few months, taking feedback from producers, processors, exporters and customers about the program and where it is headed. An initiative of the Cattle Council of Australia (CCA), Cattlecare is supported by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA). The QA program involves a series of checks and balances made by the producer during the many stages of livestock production. It is designed to enable livestock producers and the industry to address food safety issues and to ensure that the Australian meat industry is able to compete in a demanding international market. Chairman of Cattlecare Ltd, John Andre, says the QA program is highly regardedfor its coverage and integrity, especially by Australian export processors, Japanese retailers and food service companies. "All these companies place a high priority on food safety and QA right back to the farm, but do not have the Cattlecare supplies they would like to enable them to source only from QA farms and feedlots," Andre says. "The domestic industry at this stage does not, in general, place as much importance on food safety and on farm QA."