AN industry working group attached to the AusMeat Language and Standards Committee has been tasked with developing a set of standards and integrity provisions to back-up raising claims around 50 percent breed content in beef brand programs.

The issue has been a divisive and slow-moving one across the red meat industry for the past 15 months, as first raised in this Beef Central article last week.

AusMeat’s Language and Standards Committee met this morning and agreed – unanimously – to accept a 50pc raising claim on breed content, down from the current standard of 75pc used in Australian ‘Angus’ breed claims.

But the task ahead for the working party appears to be far from straightforward.

It’s anticipated that the group will report back to the Language and Standards Committee with a set of recommendations some time in the first half of 2025.

Exactly what provisions the working groups looks to embed within any 50pc breed raising claims is open to conjecture, but could include things like eating quality minimum standards aligned with Meat Standards Australia EQ Indexes. Questions yet to be answered would include how any 50pc Angus claim, for example, would accommodate say, an Angus x Hereford F1, versus an Angus x Brahman.

Again, using Angus as an example, descriptions using the word ‘Angus’ would also need to be resolved, with one or more alternatives likely (for cattle carrying only 50pc, terms like Angus Cross, or Angus F1 have been tossed up for discussion).

The possibility of using DNA testing to verify breed content may also come into focus. It’s understood DNA testing may be able to distinguish 50pc minimum breed content in up to a dozen popularly used beef breeds in Australia.

The AusMeat working group appointed to explore the provision includes representation from the Australian Lot Feeders Association, Australian Meat Industry Council, Cattle Australia, Sheep Producers and the supermarket industry.

Once the working group’s recommendations come back to the Language and Standards Committee next year, it would then be approved and built into AusMeat’s Animal Raising Claims framework, on which beef brand claims are based.

While the current focus in the breed content claims issue is squarely focussed on Angus, the broader framework would in fact cover all beef breed claims, and extend also into sheepmeat, where at least two breed-based raising claims are in the wings with brand managers.

The long-simmering issue has clearly demonstrated that breed societies are not the natural custodians of breed content description standards – where different standards could conceivably emerge for each different breed. AusMeat is the clear channel to manage breed-based raising claims to ensure consistency, and reliability across the board.

Any raising claim would typically come either directly to AusMeat, or via the Australian Meat Industry Council members as a proposed trade description, for approval by AusMeat.

We’ll follow up with an article next year on the Working Group’s recommendations.