Improving MSA compliance on King Island
| Project start date: | 13 September 2013 |
| Project end date: | 14 April 2016 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grass-fed Cattle |
| Relevant regions: | Tasmania |
Summary
Seasonal elevations and inconsistencies in the incidence of dark cutting have been observed by JBS across Southern Australia and have been particularly noted on King Island.
This Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) aimed to identify contributing factors to, and reduce, the incidence of dark cutting in King Island beef through the promotion and implementation of best bet mitigation strategies. JBS are actively involved in providing data and support to the analysis.
The primary outcome from this work is that research into the cause of the prevalence of dark cutting in the King Island beef supply chain is required ahead of any demonstration of on-farm management to reduce its incidence.
Objectives
The objective of this PDS was to reduce the incidence of dark cutting within the JBS King Island beef supply chain nominally by 50% (from an estimated 12% pre JBS closure to 6%) through the promotion and implementation of best bet mitigation strategies.
Progress
Across all the available data a dark cutting incidence of 12.4% was indicated in the King Island Beef Brand supply chain. This would appear unacceptably high and presents a significant cost in terms of direct lost value to the supply chain and restricted access to brand eligible product.
A range in dark cutting incidence from 6.8% to 18.7% was observed for individual properties with more than 1000 animals in the grading data. This is suggestive of some on-farm factors influencing the incidence of dark cutting. The majority of properties however recorded a dark cutting incidence around the mean.
Despite the observation of property to property differences, an examination of on-farm management practices, with particular reference to the finishing environment immediately prior to consignment to slaughter, was unable to associate currently known causes of dark cutting to the high incidence of dark cutting historically observed.
Any expectation that causal agents be identified and demonstrated in this PDS has instead demonstrated that there is currently insufficient understanding of the issue. No obvious, systemic causal management, deficiencies or actions, were able to be linked to the high incidence of dark cutting affecting the majority of the supply chain.
