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Beef Central news briefs 18 April 2013

Beef Central 18/04/2013

 

Horse DNA found in 5pc of European prepared meals

In tests conducted across Europe, five percent of beef-based prepared meal products contained horse DNA, the European Commission said this week, vowing to strengthen controls along the food chain in the coming months. About 0.5pc of the horse carcases tested were found to be contaminated with the banned anti-inflammatory horse drug phenylbutazone, known as bute. However Europe’s food regulators put the risk of toxic effects from ingesting horsemeat at less than one in 100 million.A horsemeat scandal erupted in Europe in January when horse meat was first detected in burgers and frozen lasagna sold in stores in Britain. The test results were the conclusion of a three-month program agreed to by 27 European Union member states. “Today's findings have confirmed that this is a matter of food fraud and not of food safety,” Commissioner for Health and Consumers Tonio Borg said. “Restoring the trust and confidence of European consumers and trading partners in our food chain following this fraudulent labelling scandal is now of vital importance for the European economy given that the food sector is the largest single economic sector in the EU," he said.

 

Producers grow funds for spinal cord injury research

PPP's Shane McManaway, with Catriona and Stephanie Williams during the $42,000 cheque presentationA group of leading farmers from Australia and NZ have raised more than $42,000 for research into spinal cord injuries. The money was raised at the prestigious Platinum Primary Producers’ (PPP) Group annual conference held in Queensland last week. The 100 strong, trans-Tasman delegation dug deep for the cause at the conference’s gala night charity auction hosted by Joel Fleming – winner of the Australian 2012 ALPA National Young Auctioneers competition. The funds will go to sister organisations – Australia’s Spinal Cord Injury Network (SCIN) and New Zealand’s CatWalk Trust. “As farmers we know only too well the devastation a spinal cord injury can cause. We are extremely proud to make a financial contribution to help further research. As a group, we have pledged our on-going support to these two remarkable organisations,” PPP group chairman Shane McManaway, from Allflex, said. Catriona Williams, Founder of the CatWalk Trust, said SCIN and CatWalk were proud to be a part of a very special evening and benefit from the incredible generosity of its members.

 

Trend to larger container vessels

Australian meat exports are dependent on access to international markets through the major foreign-owned container shipping companies. While shipping industry commentator IndustryLloyd’s List reported recently that container ship visits to Australian ports dropped during 2011-12, this was balanced by a jump in visits by larger container ships. For the 2011-12 financial year, a total of 5347 visits were made in Australian ports by container ships, 1.1pc down from the previous financial year. This figure was offset by a 4.4pc increase in visits made by ships capable of carrying 4000 teu (containers) or more. The figure suggests shipping lines are sending larger ships to service the Australian region, suggesting increased relevance of the Australian market in the global container shipping trade. SeaIntel Maritime analyst Alan Murphy told a container supply chain conference recently in Hong Kong that competition has forced many lines to order bigger ships for fear of losing market share. He predicted up to 165 new orders for container vessels sized between 13,000 teu to 14,000 teu in the next two years; up to three times bigger than those servicing Australia. He suggested consolidation would shrink the number of global container shipping players to eight by 2025. “No industry can support 20 global players” he said.

 

New competitor joins the burger ranks in Australia

The United States’ fifth largest fast food chain, Carl’s Junior, plans to open 300 franchised burger stores in Australia over the next ten years in the premium end of the fast-food market. The chain is famous for its raunchy advertising featuring starlets and bikini-clad models. It has already done well in NZ where it has opened eight stores in the past 18 months, with plans for another 50. The popularity of franchising has grown in Australia as access to capital has tightened since the financial crisis in 2008. Carl’s Jr has 3300 outlets restaurants across 27 countries and is currently in the process of expanding to Malaysia, Singapore, Russia, Vietnam  and China. The company first discussed an Australian launch back in 2010 but is now advertising for franchisees following its successful launch in NZ. The company has doubled its number of international restaurants since 2007 and now operates close to 500 stores outside the US. Company research pointed to Australia’s strong economy, and the demand for a premium food offering, complementing what it had seen in NZ. While Carl's Jr had achieved rapid success in NZ, the burger chain's franchise partner there was a "very deep-pocketed organisation", an analyst said, and it will need a similarly resourced partner to achieve success in Australia. Finding suitable locations would be just one constraint to growth. 

 

Blogging used as medium to spread red meat message

Meat & Livestock Australia invited 40 food bloggers to an Aussie Lamb seminar and tasting event at a top-class restaurant in Tokyo earlier this month. It was MLA's first event specifically targeting bloggers, and was aimed at having the bloggers send out information about Aussie Lamb, such as its nutritional benefits and recipe recommendations, ahead of the high-demand spring season. Many popular food bloggers in Japan have tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of followers.  Sheep Meat Day will be held in Japan on April 29. MLA also plans to run a Sheep Meat Day campaign from mid-April through the end of May and a Genghis Khan (sheep meat barbeque) campaign from June in Hokkaido.

 

Young Hereford breeder heading to NZ

Drillham, Qld cattleman Tom Nixon has won the inaugural Herefords Australia Youth ExchangeCommercial and stud Hereford breeder Tom Nixon from Queensland has been chosen as the recipient of the inaugural Herefords Australia New Zealand Youth Exchange. The 29-year-old  principal of Devon Court Herefords and current president of Qld Hereford Regional Group will head to NZ this month and get a taste of the international Hereford market. Mr Nixon has been breeding Herefords and running the family property since the age of 17, after completing an Animal Husbandry certificate at Longreach Pastoral College. Herefords Youth Committee chair Scott Hann said Mr Nixon will be an excellent representative of the industry. “He will be able to use this experience as a positive insight not only for his personal knowledge but also for the benefit of the Australia Hereford industry,” Mr Hann said. “The involvement of youth such as Mr Nixon is vital for the future of our industry and I believe we will continue to reap the benefits for years to come,” he said. Mr Nixon's NZ visit starts next week in South Canterbury visiting Hereford producers. He will also join the NZ Hereford Association Ambassadors tour of Waikato including attendance at the Better Beef Cow workshop, Carne Technologies, and stud visits.

 

 

Brazilian Anti-trust Authority approves JBS purchases

Brazil’s Anti-trust Authority (CADE) has unanimously approved all 12 beef plant purchases and lease agreements made by JBS in Brazil between 2009 and 2012. The acquisitions were submitted to the anti-trust authority for analysis. As a result, all production units incorporated by JBS during the period in Brazil will continue to be administered by the company without any restrictions, the company said in a statement issued this morning. Besides the approval of the totality of the operations, JBS also signed a Commitment Agreement (TCD) with the Authority whereby JBS guarantees that it will inform CADE regarding all future purchases, large or small, including leases during the next 30 months. Since the Anti-trust Authority interpreted that JBS may have acted in an untimely manner with regard to certain leases which were not submitted to the Authority for analysis, CADE decided to levy a fine worth about A$3.5 million on JBS. The company says it will not challenge the fine, and intends to pay up.

 

Indian beef processing standards questioned

Current forecasts by industry analysts suggest that India will assume the position of the world’s largest exporter of bovine meat products in 2013. While volume forecasts remain buoyant, the assessment of quality, health and sanitation standards at some of its facilities leave much to be desired. Delhi’s main abattoir in Ghazipur was severely criticised for its hygiene standards at a recent red and white meat industry summit held by the Confederation of Indian Industries in New Delhi. “There are many unhygienic practices, very little supervision and very little care for quality” Ashok Khosla, a Delhi-based food consultant, told the conference. A senior official at the Indian government’s Animal Husbandry Department highlighted that there was no SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for running abattoirs in India. He pleaded with delegates to share with them a functional operating procedure which could be officially adopted for the whole industry. According to Mr Khosla, meat traders across India are guilty of many malpractices such as injecting water to increase the weight of meat. The Delhi abattoir was opened in 2008 as an integrated facility, including fresh meat markets.

 

Wal-mart expansion plans in China

The world’s largest retailer Wal-mart has announced plans to invest A$78 million to upgrade 50 of its more than 380 outlets in China, as well as opening another 30 stores this year. Wal-mart also plans to invest in a network of distribution centres and improve its warehousing network aimed at improving food safety and reducing costs. One media report speculated whether Wal-mart was stepping back from its original growth targets in China when it revealed it would close a number of stores in April because of high rent and labour costs. However Wal-mart said it stood by its announcement made last year to open 100 new stores in China over the next three years. Wal-mart currently occupy second place in China by market share behind Sun Art Retail Group, a joint venture between the Ruentex conglomerate from Taiwan and France’s Groupe Auchan.

 

Western Downs ‘Call to Action’ summit to tackle jobs demand

A summit to address the challenge of sustaining communities through strong local businesses and attracting, developing and retaining sufficient skilled workers to meet the demands of the agricultural, mining and related sectors will take place at Dalby, Qld, on Wednesday May 1. The Western Downs ‘Call to Action’ Summit is a whole of community event bringing together local employers and representatives from across industry, community, education and government. Attendees will discuss regional employment issues and develop strategies to identify the labour shortage and skill needs of the region. The Summit will build on the work already done in recent years within the community including the efforts of  the Western Downs Jobs and Skills Strategy Task Group and will prioritise the on-the-ground projects that will support profitable and productive businesses and skilled, engaged employees. Western Downs is one of four regions in Australia selected for the AgriFood National Regional Initiatives, a national first in confronting and countering the engrained employment and job retention problems and business development issues endemic to regional communities. The initiative is based on a successful, three-year pilot program ‘Make It Work’ conducted in the Narrabri region in NSW. The pilot has gained national recognition for empowering regions to find their own solutions to skills and employment problems. It delivered a 3pc gain in productivity and a 30pc net retention of workers exiting the region. The Western Downs ‘Call to Action’ Summit will be held on May 1 at the Dalby Showground Pavilion starting at 8.30am. Contact: Wendy Agar Ph 0400 541 248.

 

Program announced for Shorthorn conference

Shorthorn Beef has finalised the speaker lineup for its upcoming National Shorthorn Conference at the Tamworth Sustainable Farming Systems Centre on Sunday and Monday, May 5 and 6. The program includes an excellent range of speakers, all of whom are aimed squarely at developing the commercial traits and desirability of Shorthorn blood within the Australian beef herd. Speakers include:

  • Jason Strong – GM Marketing, AA Co
  • Graham Truscott – former head of Angus Australia
  • Tim McRae – MLA economist
  • Cameron Hilton – JBS Australia
  • Bob Jamieson – BJA Agencies, Inverell
  • Grant Garry – GM Feedlots, Teys Australia.

One of the key features for SB members will be the release of the Shorthorn Beef Business Plan that will take the breed into the next few years. Contacts: shorthorn@shorthornbeef.com.au or phone 02 – 6772 2400.

 

Contact details for finishing systems field day

An article yesterday referred to an upcoming field day that will showcase the results of a two-year evaluation of different steer-finishing systems, but did not provide contact details for those interested in attending the field day. The field day will run at 'Bannockburn', Bell, on April 26.from 9:30am to 4pm, with smoko and lunch provided. To register contact Tim Emery (DAFF, Roma) by April 23 on 0408 707 155 or email timothy.emery@daff.qld.gov.au<mailto:timothy.emery@daff.qld.gov.au> 

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