CIRCUMSTANCES are changing rapidly since the news broke yesterday of a stand-off developing between some processors and Meat & Livestock Australia’s National Livestock Reporting Service, over the accuracy of reporting in weekly kill data.

Beef Central has been told by an MLA spokesman that two of the largest beef processors in Australia have overnight agreed to allow the National Livestock Reporting Service to access their National Livestock Identification System records on slaughter cattle, for data capture purposes. The agreement came as a direct result of this week’s developments.

Provision of that data could provide an ideal solution to issues raised in yesterday’s report. Currently, the weekly kill report is compiled simply by NLRS staff telephoning processors on Monday mornings to gather the previous week’s figures.

No Eastern States total or Queensland slaughter figure was produced by NLRS yesterday, after a major multi-state processor refused to submit the company’s weekly results, in protest over the perceived inaccuracy of the report. Click here to view Beef Central’s earlier story.

Over-reporting of weekly kill numbers was damaging Australia’s ability to negotiate price with export customers, because customers believed Australian exporters had more meat in storage than was actually the case, Beef Central was told.

A comprehensive follow-up report will be published tomorrow.