TheMeatSite Newsletter - 7 September 2011

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Wednesday 7th September 2011

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: UK Meat Inspection Practices Under Review

The British Meat Processors Association has put forward plans for an alternative approach to the delivery of official meat inspections.

The BMPA wants to see an inspection servcie based on the use of approved private sector accredited bodies to carry out inspections in consistently competent meat processing plants.

The main features of the proposal include:

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) would remain the competent authority, retaining responsibility for approval of plants, audits and enforcement
Official Veterinarians would remain under the control of the FSA
The FSA would delegate inspection tasks to approved private sector accredited bodies in consistently competent plants

The BMPA proposals come out at the same time that the Food Standards Agency has published new research into ways of improving the UK's meat inspection service.

In the research, the FSA discovered that consumers expect themselves, retailers and food outlets to monitor safety in the first instance and have little awareness of the current system of controls.

The FSA also commissioned five projects to study the risks to public heath, animal health and welfare from changing the current meat hygiene inspection requirements.

The FSA has also published an updated assessment of the impact of its proposals to increase charges for official controls on meat.

The Agency is proposing to increase the charges paid by industry for the work carried out by vets and meat inspectors in slaughterhouses, meat cutting plants and game handling establishments.

In Australia, the government has announced a new system of export certification for Australian meatworks designed to cut red tape, support regional jobs and improve Australia’s export meat industry’s competitiveness.

The new co-regulatory arrangement, the Australian Export Meat Inspection System (AEMIS), will be implemented from 1 October 2011. To support the transition to the new system the government will provide A$25.8 million over three years in support as the industry returns to full cost recovery by 2013.

Chris Harris

TheMeatSite Book Focus

Ovine Meat Inspection - 2nd Edition
This book forms part of a series that has been designed to provide a study aid for students undertaking the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health Red Meat Inspection Certificate and other courses where knowledge of ovine meat inspection is required such as those for Environmental Health Officers and Official Veterinary Surgeons and students undertaking Veterinary Public Health courses.
Order Now Online

Meat Science An Introductory Text
Outlining the core principles of the subject, this introductory-level textbook covers the production of meat, its structure and chemical composition, meat quality and hygiene, and animal welfare, handling and slaughter.
Order Now Online

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 5 new features this week:

Green Light for French Turkey Industry's New Agreement
The French Competition Authority has approved a fresh cross-sector agreement drawn up by the national turkey committee (CIDEF) as part of the implementation of the Loi pour la Modernisation de l'Agriculture et la Pêche.

Currency Chaos Creates Uniform Market
By Chris Harris, Editor-in-Chief of TheMeatSite. Our snapshot of the ongoing global pig industry trends as reported in the August 2011 Whole Hog Brief. To read the full detailed analysis, including all the commentary and graphical data, subscribe to the publication.

Study Could Help Develop Anti-bacterial Surfaces
Jacinta Conrad, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Houston, likens her research into how bacteria move to "tracking bright spots on a dark background."

Hong Kong - Livestock and Products Annual
Hong Kong's imports of US pork and offals are expected be 32 per cent lower this year than in 2010 as the result of a continued decrease in US pork exports transshipping through Hong Kong, according to Caroline Yuen and Juliana Madrid in the latest GAIN report from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

International Meat Review - 18 August 2011
US beef and veal exports are on the rise with Egypt becoming the leading market for variety meats according to the USDA's International Meat Review.

Company News

Brazilian Fisheries Minister Visits Marel HQ
ICELAND - The headquarters of food processing equipment manufacturer Marel in Garðabær was recently the setting for a visit by Brazilian minister for fisheries and aquaculture, Luiz Sérigode Oliviera.

Saudi Dairy Group Expands in Poultry
SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi based integrated dairy foods company Almarai is taking rapidly expanding into the poultry production and processing business.

Global Meat Industry News