Thursday, August 9th 2012 - 06:08 UTC

New Zealand launches program for high quality marbled beef off grass

The New Zealand government announced last week it will be supporting a program to produce high-quality marbled beef off grass, by combining specific high-marbling genetics with the country’s strengths in pastoral agriculture, according to Joe Burke from the Meat Division of Bord Bia-Irish Food Board.

Marbled beef has strong demand in Japan, US and China

The investment partnership is expected to be worth 23.7 million dollars over seven years, with the Ministry for Primary Industries providing € 7.15 million and the balance coming from commercial companies, Brownrigg Agriculture and Firstlight Foods.

Marbling, the distribution of intramuscular fat through meat, is an important quality attribute in beef for markets such as Japan, China and the United States.

Also ‘foodies’ in other countries are increasingly seeking marbled beef on account of flavour, juiciness or tenderness preferences. Throughout the world marbled beef is mainly produced in feedlots using intensive cereal-based diets.

By contrast, grass-fed cattle mainly lay down inter-muscular fat, between the muscle seams, rather than being dispersed within it.

This project will involve crossing purebred Wagyu sires with New Zealand dairy cows and some Angus beef cows in a bid to put New Zealand marbled beef 'centre of the plate' in key international markets.

The NZ approach will be to finish these cattle on grass, while retaining a high proportion of the marbling expressed in the Japanese-style grain feeding systems.

USDA Prime grade is the most widely recognised standard for beef marbling internationally. Less than three per cent of the entire US beef production reaches USDA Prime.

Gerard Hickey, Managing Director of Firstlight Foods, believes that using a Wagyu dairy crossbred, NZ farmers will be the first in the world to consistently produce marbled beef off grass to USDA Prime standard.

Dairy calves are an underutilised resource in NZ. A large proportion of male dairy calves are sent directly for slaughter as ‘bobby veal’, and there is growing animal welfare scrutiny over the practice.

Dairy farmers involved in this project have the option of grass-finishing the Wagyu-cross calves themselves, or trading them to backgrounders and finishers involved in the initiative. (Argentine Beef Packers S.A)
 

Published in: Agriculture, Economy, International.
Tags: Agnus, dairy cows, Marbled beef, New Zealand, USDA Prime standard, Wagyu.

9 comments Feed

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1 Conqueror (#) Aug 09th, 2012 - 11:33 am Report abuse
To New Zealand, I can only say “Good luck!” Some time ago, it was revealed in the UK that much meat was “produced” using the halal method of slaughter. I do not agree with this method and, as a result, I contacted the New Zealand High Commission in London, mostly to complain that their “product” was not adequately labelled so that I did not know what I was buying. I considered that the response was weak, as it relied on stating that New Zealand producers complied with all British official requirements. That is not adequate for large numbers of consumers. And it is the consumers that cough up the money. As a result, I have ceased purchasing all New Zealand meat produce.
2 British_Kirchnerist (#) Aug 09th, 2012 - 01:03 pm Report abuse
#1 Apart from the fact its Muslim, what do you dislike, or even know, about halal meat?
3 Conqueror (#) Aug 09th, 2012 - 01:38 pm Report abuse
@2 Everything. What's it got to do with you?
4 British_Kirchnerist (#) Aug 09th, 2012 - 01:54 pm Report abuse
#3 Whats it got to do with either of us. We're not Muslims, but that just means we shouldn't have to worry about how food is prepared (apart from things like cruelty which halal minimises by demanding the animal be kept in good conditions, fed and watered up to the end, killed cleanly etc), unless we're Jews or Hindus I suppose with other dietry rules. Christians and atheists, the overwhelming majprity of “the west”, have no dietry laws so no reason to be worried, while if meat is not produced in a halal way Muslims won't be able to eat it, so some halal at least should be produced, no?!
5 Zethee (#) Aug 09th, 2012 - 05:18 pm Report abuse
British_Kirchnerist: I know a few people who object to eating halal foods because they think that the way the animal is killed is not humane.

Personally if i had a choice between instantly getting shocked to death or being tied upside down and having my throat sliced then have to sit there for three minutes while i bled to death i'd quite frankly be terrified of the latter option.

Personally i eat both foods, but i can see where people are coming from.
6 ChrisR (#) Aug 09th, 2012 - 07:38 pm Report abuse
Early in my career, I used to design for Accles Shelvoke, humane 'killers', a euphemism to assuage 'gentlefolk' that the animal died instantly.

This is untrue. The 10mm diameter captive bolt, fired by a 0.22 rf blank (now an electrical charge designed to stun, not kill) punched a hole through the front of the skull into the foremost part of the brain, stunning the animal.

The animal was then strung up on a moving conveyor and its' throat cut. It then, unknowingly and without pain, bled to death. The electric charge, when CORRECTLY APPLIED, does the same job.

Halal on the other hand is not a painless death or the animal 'killed cleanly' as that excuse for a Briton would have us believe. Its' throat is cut and it staggers, unless physically restrained, in shock and in pain while it also bleeds to death. If it is strung up before that it is not killed in the true Halal manner.

AND, you pathetic excuse for a Briton, you will soon, if you live long enough, find out for yourself what being a Muslim entails. I hope for your sake you die before then, and I am being kind to you, though I have no idea why.
7 Condorito (#) Aug 09th, 2012 - 10:06 pm Report abuse
Chris
I think you'll find BK approves of Sharia law too.
8 ChrisR (#) Aug 10th, 2012 - 04:25 pm Report abuse
Condorito

You may well be right. However, he will not appreciate it when they behead him for being an infidel.
9 Conqueror (#) Aug 14th, 2012 - 02:16 pm Report abuse
@4 If you were anywhere near Britain, you would know that meat is not labelled to show the slaughter method. But you don't know that. Again, you show that you don't know things that any ordinary Brit would know. The comments @5 and 6 show exactly why I don't want to consume meat produced by halal methods. To move on to your puerile suggestion that “some” halal meat should be produced, I'll go along with that. BUT, and it's big BUT, ALL New Zealand meat is produced in accordance with halal type requirements. However, only 2.8% of the UK population is Muslim. Only 1% is Hindu. Only 0.6% is Sikh. Only 0.5% are Jews. Only 0.3% are Buddhists. Therefore these “specialist” slaughter methods are being used by New Zealand to cater for only 5.2% of the UK population. I understand that choice, fairness, honesty, truth are “foreign” concepts to you argies, but we Brits are different. As a member of the 95% of the UK population that is not part of these minorities, I refuse to be forced to consume foodstuffs produced using methods that I find repugnant and unacceptable. Since New Zealand refuses to label its product properly, I refuse to purchase or consume it. Is that easy enough for you? I've tried to keep it simple to cater to your level of intelligence.

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