THERE is no issue with selling bull meat to consumers, but beef produced from entire male animals displaying secondary sexual characteristics cannot yet be sold under the Meat Standards Australia eating quality system.
That’s the clear message in a letter from Meat and Livestock Australia to regulatory watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, in response to claims surrounding the marketing and packaging of bull meat in Australia.
Meat and Livestock Australia producer consultation and adoption general manager Michael Crowley said the industry’s highly prized MSA program accurately described the fitness for purpose, and expected eating quality, for all cuts of beef from all animals.
Bulls, or entire males, are were not eligible for the MSA program as published in the MSA Standards, he said.
However, Mr Crowley said beef from entire males could be sold to consumers, either using the AUS-MEAT entire male category descriptors or alternate category ciphers where entire males do not display secondary sexual characteristics.
“The categories of the AUS-MEAT language are used for classification and are not an eating quality grading system,” he said.
It is an intention of the MSA program, to be able to accurately predict the eating quality of entire males. However further research is required.
- Michael Crowley, Meat and Livestock Australia
“It is an intention of the MSA program, to be able to accurately predict the eating quality of entire males. However further research is required.”
Any changes to the MSA program and standards would need to be approved by the MSA Beef Taskforce and Australian Meat Industry Language and Standards Committee, he said. That committee is made up of peak industry councils representing each sector of the industry. However, MLA is only an observer participant on that committee, he said.
“The MSA program is based on robust science validated through strict consumer sensory testing protocols,” Mr Crowley said.
“To date, over 120,000 consumers have provided data on almost one million beef samples.
“It is a successful program, as indicated by over 40 per cent of the adult cattle slaughter being voluntarily graded each year.”
Mr Crowley said ‘mickey bulls’ would not likely meet the requirements of alternate categories, nor the MSA eating quality program.
Processors and retail butchers contacted by Queensland Country Life said they were unaware of meat from mature bulls entering the MSA system.
One seemingly perplexed Brisbane retailer said he had never been offered bull meat by wholesalers. He said he was unaware there was any consumer demand specifically for bull meat, despite despite knowing it was a preference in some Middle Eastern and Asian cultures.
The Australian Beef Language, administered by AUS-MEAT, has been in place for more than 30 years. Following an extensive review of the language in 2016, 46 recommendations were made.
“One of these included a review of the bull category, with current progress awaiting eating quality research outcomes,” Mr Crowley said.
Beef holds the greatest market share value of all fresh meat sales with retail sales of $8.7 billion annually. It is consumed in more than 80pc of all Australian households each week.