IT has been a marathon but finally after three years of effort and deliberation, something tangible has come out of the Australian Beef Language White Paper.
Last Thursday, AUS-MEAT issued Advice 3/17 titled Integration of EQG Category Cipher for MSA Graded Product, effective immediately.
Significance of this is right up there in level of importance because finally the science behind Australia’s leading-edge eating-quality grading system can begin to displace lesser credentialed beef carcase grading characteristics that many in the industry would consider have prevailed for far too long.
The recommendation for an EQG cipher to be established was one of 12 recommendations in a grouping the White Paper called ‘Transition to an Outcomes Based Language’.
Of the 12, only four other recommendations received peak council support, three to be progressed through the MSA Beef Taskforce and one through the Objective Measurement Rural R&D for Profit program.
The other seven were either rejected or referred for further work.
The AUS-MEAT advice states, “The EQG cipher may replace the need to use an AUS-MEAT alternative category cipher and can be used on a voluntary basis.”
This is the key aspect of the breakthrough because alternative category ciphers such as YG (Young), YP (Young Prime) and PR (Prime) are dentition based at two, four and seven teeth respectively.
Illustrated sample labels from the AUS-MEAT advice show how the EQG cipher and MSA information may appear on carton labels displacing the alternative dentition based ciphers.
Should a processor choose to grade to the EQG alternative category cipher it would have the potential for extra cattle to make grade.
However for export processors, AUS-MEAT has issued some cautionary advice in regard to importing countries where animal age requirements exist.
Existing labelling requirements will remain in place for destinations such as EU, Japan and Canada.
Exporters are encouraged to ensure that MSA product is labelled to ensure compliance with these requirements.
No cattle in the south
WHILE Queensland numbers have held up reasonably well through the better part of winter against all expectations of a major supply slump, the situation in Victoria is the reverse with slaughter cattle of any description becoming increasingly difficult to find.
Pakenham in the Gippsland region was one of the first soft-floor, covered saleyard complexes built presumably to accommodate what then appeared to be economically sustainable numbers.
Last week Pakenham yarded just 300 head which Peter Kostos, market analyst for Stock & Land believes is the smallest yarding they have ever had for this time of year.
He added that every market in Victoria was very quiet last week.
Another Gippsland commentator, cattle buyer Roger Tweddle noted that a few more cattle were going direct to works these days but that did not explain the current situation of low saleyard numbers.
His take is that there is simply very little feed about and that has been the case since February. He said, “Only rare paddocks where dairy farmers have thrown out a bit of urea is there anything that looks like grass.”
Orbost along the southern coast was not looking good and the Korumburra region which did manage an autumn break has since come back to the field.
Mr Tweddle explained that usually they hope to get a bit of rain by the end of March then expect cold weather through May/July but normally get through that period with grass from the autumn rain.
Hopefully a wet August follows and by the end of that month everything should go mad but this August has been a big failure.
“I just haven’t bought cattle for my clients because there is nowhere with enough feed for them to go,” he said.
As a consequence, no cattle coming in means nothing much to come out of the woodwork later this year.
The traditional supply surge after the grand finals through to Christmas may therefore be a fairly modest event.
Northern buyers who usually tap into the southern markets around October/November may find that prices will not fall far enough behind northern rates to allow them to do that this year.
In the meantime, best Angus bullocks going direct to works for brand programs have been up around 600c/kg or better as recently as four weeks ago.
They have since retreated to around 560c with non-program bullocks around 540c.
Saleyards have struggled to match this with 300c being the best at Leongatha last week for 600kg bullocks but more generally the rate has been around 285.
Daylight appears in Qld kill
LATEST figures provided by MLA show that August slaughterings are holding ground and will likely conclude as a strong month but there would seem to be some daylight in the kill rosters ahead.
This was foreshadowed by the slight firming tendency seen in saleyard offerings of ox and cow in the last two weeks and that culminated in an upward adjustment to over-the-hooks rates on Friday.
One major processor confirmed 20 cents was added to rates in southern Queensland bringing indicator four-tooth ox to 490c/kg and heavy cow to 430. Commenting on the supply picture, the contact said that the tightening outlook was pretty much spread across the state with the only bright spot being the possibility of a few oats cattle still to come.