Representatives of the Welsh red meat industry have unanimously agreed that an automated system for carcase grading and an objective payment system based on meat yield is necessary in order to incentivise producers and the wider supply chain.
The meeting, at HCC – Meat Promotion Wales’ headquarters, attracted attendance from right across the supply chain with representatives of the farming, processing and retail sectors as well as the Welsh Government, all expressing their desire for change and to explore new technological solutions.
The current carcase classification system depends on the subjective view of the inspector who assesses the fat cover and conformation of the carcase. This can lead to inconsistent grading, resulting in variations in the price paid to farmers.
After the meeting HCC chairman Dai Davies said: “If the Welsh red meat industry is to have a sustainable long term and profitable future then we must take the lead and ensure that we use the latest technology to provide a consistently high quality product for our consumers.”
Davies was also encouraged by the fact that producers, processors and retailers all agreed that action must be taken.
“A number of key areas for consideration were identified, but the main conclusion was the need for a collaborative industry approach towards moving to an automated objective assessment process and a payment system based on meat yield.”
A further meeting involving all the participants is scheduled for April to move the process forward.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
