Marketing

Abattoir Traceback of Cattle Granulomas

In 1992 Australia put in place the National Granuloma Submission Program (NGSP) to monitor the tuberculosis freedom of our cattle herds. The purpose of the NGSP is to collect all granulomas, so that any remaining tuberculosis (TB) is detected as early as possible to minimise disease spread. It is not possible for meat inspectors to distinguish between TB and other granulomas visually, so any granulomas found in cattle or buffalo processed through Australian abattoirs are examined at State/Territory veterinary laboratories. [more]

Declaring Stock Free of Hormone Growth Promotants

Declaring cattle free of HGPs is important for a number of beef markets that restrict or prohibit their use. Currently there are three ways for cattle producers to do this Naitonal Vendor Declarations, Pink Tags or the HGP control system. [more]

Genetic Effects on the Mature Weight of Cattle

Mature weight is an important trait in beef cattle. Mature weight of breeders is important because larger cows require more feed for maintenance. This means that running large mature size females results in higher grazing pressure than running an equal number of small or medium mature size females. This article concentrates on the genetic effects on mature weight. [more]

Improving the Nutrition of Ruminant Livestock Kept by Smallholders in SE Asia

Ruminant livestock are an important food source in village cultures. This article outlines some strategies to increase the nutrition of livestock in these environments. [more]

Meeting Market Specifications for Cattle: Dentition Score

One of the factors used for describing cattle for domestic or overseas markets is age. Age can be estimated from the dentition score which is the number of adult incisors (front teeth) that have erupted in the lower jaw. Dentition score is, at present, the only practical, objective indicator of age available for cattle. [more]

Tenderising Beef using an Electrical Stimulation Method

The need to overcome the toughening effects of poor slaughter abattoir operations, has long been recognized. Recent research by the CSIRO Division of Food Research has found that electrical stimulation of beef carcases has a marked affect on the pH of the muscle and subsequently post cooking tenderness. [more]

Transport Weight Loss in Export Feeder Steers

Data on transport weight losses is being collected as part of the background information necessary for producers if they are to meet post weaning market specifications for the SE Asian feeder steer market. The weight of imported feeder steers is an important market specification when they are weighed off the boat on arrival in SE Asia. [more]

Use of Hormone Growth Promotants in the NT

Hormonal Growth Promotants (HGPs) are implants registered for use in cattle and buffalo to increase the rate of weight gain on good feed. [more]