KR Castlemaine has  launched a campaign for a pre-packaged ham product with the claim to be “natural”, using new technologies to become the “first Australian pre-packaged ham that is artificially preservative-free”. This new range of ham is said to be produced using cutting-edge High Pressure Pasteurisation (HPP) technology. The company claims that it “does not use heat”, thereby preserving texture and nutritional value for the product. HR Castlemaine also says  the new technology ... ...Read more »

Australia’s Meat and Livestock Association’s (MLA) cattle industry projections for 2012, released on 23 January 2012, provide a comprehensive outlook on the Australian cattle industry, including national herd, cattle and beef supply, and export numbers. Projections for 2012: Continued strong demand from a diverse range of global markets combined with favourable seasons will drive an expansion in Australian meat production and exports Australian beef and veal production is forecast to reach a... ...Read more »

Total Australian beef and veal production for 2012 is forecast to reach a record 2.197 million tonnes, according to Meat & Livestock Australia. According to Meat & Livestock Australia’s Chief Economist Tim McRae, the predicted 2.2 per cent increase from 2010’s production volume is a result of continued strong demand from an increasingly diverse range of global markets. Total beef exports are predicted to increase, driven by expansion into Russia, the Middle East and most southern Asian... ...Read more »

Despite a fall in Australian lamb production during 2011, strong overseas demand and tight global supplies (particularly out of New Zealand) resulted in the third largest volume of lamb exported from Australia on record.   China saw a major jump during 2011 in Australian lamb imports, up 15 per cent year-on-year, to 29,620 tonnes. This is a region identified by both Australia and New Zealand as a key growth market for lamb (and mutton). With disruptions to New Zealand supply during late 2010... ...Read more »

Latest figures from Australia’s Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry show that the volume of beef exported to Japan during 2011 was the lowest since 2003. Japan is the largest destination of Australian beef exports. Australia sent 30,202 tonnes of beef to Japan in December 2011, taking the annual total to 342,186 tonnes. This was four per cent less than the amount exported in 2010. According to Meat & Livestock Australia, Australian beef exports have been impacted by the... ...Read more »

Australian scientists say they have identified new genetic markers that will allow Australian producers to increase the lean meat yield and productivity of their sheep. The research, undertaken by the Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation (Sheep CRC) in conjunction with Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), will provide sheep breeders with the ability to use DNA testing early in an animal’s life to identify a wide range of traits, including meat quality. The Sheep CRC research,... ...Read more »

Woolworths has become the first national supermarket to offer certified Meat Standards Australia (MSA) graded Australian beef to customers. Woolworths has been working with Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) for over a decade on developing the MSA grading system. MSA is an industry audited program that delivers an eating quality guarantee. The grading system has been developed following years of research and more than 550,000 consumer product tests on 78,500 cuts of meat, using eight cooking methods. MSA... ...Read more »

A Sydney butcher who used illegal additives to make meat appear more appealing has been fined over A$9,000 by the Chief Industrial Magistrates Court, relating to four offences under the New South Wales Food Act. New South Wales Food Authority’s Acting CEO, Craig Sahlin, said the court’s decision to fine Abdul Hassan, trading as Green Valley Halal Meats a total of A$9,000 plus costs was a stern reminder to those who flout food safety laws. An officer from the NSW Authority visited Green Valley... ...Read more »

The Federal Government’s Food Safety Information Council (FSIC) is urging more consumers to use meat thermometers in order to decrease the risk of food poisoning. The Food Safety Information Council is a non-profit entity supported by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing, state and territory health and food safety agencies, local government, and leading professional, industry and community organisations. According to Newspoll research released today, which was commissioned by the FSIC,... ...Read more »

A new Meat Standards Australia (MSA) symbol that identifies beef that has met an independent consumer standard for tenderness, juiciness and flavour, has been rolled out to butchers and fresh food retailers across Australia. Featuring Australia’s traditional colours, the green and gold ‘MSA graded’ symbol will be positioned as a quality mark, indicating that brands have been graded to meet MSA standards. The MSA grading system was developed by the beef industry in 1999. Nearly 90,000 consumers... ...Read more »