Beef Quality Assurance

1
Beef Quality Assurance
2
Current Market Situation
3
Current Industry Challenges

• Feasible measures reduce overall cost to be
  competitive as well as profitable
• ID and eliminate genetics that produce tough beef
• Post-mortem technology to enhance tenderness
• Target 0.5 inches (max) fat thickness
• Range of acceptable carcass size to 600-850lbs
• Chuck and round value added products

4
Consumer Issues

• Top 5 Concerns
• Lack of uniformity
• Inadequate tenderness
• Low palatability
• Excessive external fat
• Price too high for value received

5
Processor Issues
6
Dark Cutters
Weather Implants Genetics Disposition Handling
Glycogen available to produce lactic acid
pH alters light absorption water-binding
ability
DARK CUTTER
7
(No Transcript)
8
What can we do?

• Injection sites
• Use of implants
• Cattle handling
• Good management practices
• Recorded documentation

9
Best Management Practices
10
Trained Animal Handlers(TAH)

• What is TAH all about?
• Why should I bother?
• Organizations that have already adopted TAH

11
TAH

• Guidelines set up by NCBA
• Involves
• feeding
• handling
• shelter/housing
• loading/receiving
• sick/injured animals
• marketing cattle
• personnel training

12
Guidelines

• Provide necessary food, water care
• Provide disease prevention
• Provide facilities for safe, humane efficient
  movement and/or restraint
• Appropriate methods to euthanize terminally sick
  or injured livestock
• Provide personnel with training/experience to
  properly care for cattle

13
Guidelines

• Make timely observations of cattle to make sure
  basic needs are met
• Minimize stress when transporting cattle
• Keep updated on advancements and changes in the
  industry to make decisions based on sound
  production practices consideration to animal
  well-being
• Persons who willfully mistreat animals will not
  be tolerated

14
TAH why bother?

• Feedyard is known to adopt TAH practices
• - consumer/community perception
• - buyers
• Reduce bruising/dark cutters improve efficiency
  of operation

15
Bruising/Dark Cutters

• Trim losses due to bruising in 2000 cost the
  beef industry 22,819,687
• Equates to 0.75 per fed steer and heifer
• Discounts for dark cutters in 2000 were 30/cwt
  carcass weight
• Total loss 164,592,393
• Equates to 5.43 per fed steer and heifer (6.08
  in 1995)

16
Organizational Flow

• Fast food chains
• McDonalds
• Burger King

Packing plants Tyson (IBP), Swift, Excel
Feedlots Kansas south to Texas panhandle Nutrition
ist part of job
17
Tyson

• we pledge our diligence in leading the
  industry pursuit of new and improved technology
  and methods to further enhance animal well-being.
  This is not only the right thing to do, but is
  an important moral and ethical obligation we owe
  to our suppliers, to our customers, to
  ourselves,..

18
Tyson

• Training requirements
• Watch a video proper handling techniques
• Discuss proper technique of handling livestock
• Read training manual discuss points not
  understood
• Participate in question answer session
• Understand what an animal handling audit is and
  what is being evaluated
• Take a written test
• Sign a form of understanding and compliance
• Receive and keep a copy of the training manual

19

• Audits
• Electric prod usage no. of animals that are
  touched (acceptable is less than 1 out of 4)
• Vocalization no. of animals that vocalize
  around the stunning area (acceptable is less than
  3 out of 100)
• Stunning efficiency no. of animals that are not
  properly stunned the first time (acceptable is
  less than 5 out of 100)
• Slipping/Falling no of animals that slip or
  fall (acceptable is less than 1 out of 100)
• Insensibility no. of animals that show signs of
  being sensible after shackling (must be 0)

20
McDonalds

• 2002 500 audits of beef, pork and poultry
  processing facilities around the world
• 6 person independent Animal Welfare Council
• National Council of Chain Restaurants the Food
  Marketing Institute are adopting a common animal
  welfare compliance procedures
• - major fast food chains
• - food retailers and wholesalers

21
Burger King

• 2002 completed audits on 100 of their system
• 9 person Animal Welfare Council
• 2003 completed implementation of the National
  Council of Chain Restaurants the Food Marketing
  Institute common animal welfare compliance
  procedures

22

• McDonalds
• Reportedsmall amount of cases where the audit
  was not acceptable, corrective actions were taken
  within 30 days to bring the facility up to
  McDonalds standards
• Burger King
• Reporteda small number did not meet company
  standard in this years audits.and is actively
  assisting these vendors suppliers in their
  efforts to reach full compliance.

23
Are your facilities ready?

• Wendys audit team want to visit your feedlot.
• DO YOU ALLOW THEM?

24
Are your facilities ready?

• ARE YOU ANIMALS HANDLED IN A HUMANE WAY?

25
Are your facilities ready?

• Employee training
• - Who should be trained?
• - Do you have supporting documentation
• Who is trained?
• How many hours of training?
• Who trained them?
• When can a trainee go unsupervised?

26
TAH Training Record
Name John Smith Supervisor Fred Fittle
Date 05/21/02
27
Are your facilities ready?

• ARE YOU ATTENDING TO SICK/INJURED ANIMALS?

28
Health Records
08/11/03
OUTS
167
24
PINK EYE
Vet examined determined, no treatment required
SH
29
Are your facilities ready?

• Health Concerns
• Animal welfare audits
• Documentation
• Can you prove absence of antibiotic residues?
• Type of antibiotic used?
• When was it used?
• What purpose was it used for?

30
Health Records
31
INVENTORY ITEM LA 200 EXPIRY DATE March
2004 VOLUME 500mL WITHDRAWAL 28 DAYS
32
Are your facilities ready?

• Are you feeding any antibiotics or ruminant
  derived protein?

33
Are your facilities ready?

• Feed Concerns
• Do you have a protocol for feed suppliers?
• Mycotoxins in DDGS
• Dioxin in feed ingredients
• I dont feed any ruminant by-products..
• o.k. now prove it!

34
Are your facilities ready?

• Feed Concerns
• Know the hazards associated with feeds
• RISK - Brokers
• - Co-products