ALL STOCK agents were recently advised by Frewstal Pty Ltd, Stawell Abattoir, Victoria, that one of its major clients requires that all lambs processed for it are to be Meat Standards Australia graded.
The ramifications for producers who supply, or want to supply, this market are that they have to achieve MSA accreditation. For some, this will be viewed as another bureaucratic hurdle to negotiate, but others will see it as an opportunity to gain an advantage in a different market.
MSA is literally a scheme that ensures consumers can be confident the meat they are buying is a guaranteed grade.
The method of becoming MSA-accredited is fairly simple and, if it gives producers any extra, opportunities in the marketplace it is well worthwhile pursuing. Firstly, a producer can register online - just enter your property identification code, Livestock Production Assurance and user ID to get started. You then click on 'start Training'. I can feel some of my reader's eyes starting to glaze over at this stage, but stick with it because it does get easier. If unsure of these details, ring the LPA hotline on 1800 683 111 for assistance.
After completing the training, it is time to take the quiz. Now there is not a great deal of difficulty in this quiz because it is multiple choice and, if you are unsure of the answer, all you have to do is refer back to the Online Producer Training Manual that you have just finished studying.
Once you have passed the examination process, an MSA registration number and password will be generated and issued to you, followed by an email confirmation of your registration. You are now in the MSA lamb business.
That was the easy part. When you sell lambs to an MSA processor you simply add your MSA number to the National Vendor Declaration in question 7. Unfortunately, to do this there are several other obstacles to conquer. On your vendor declaration you will also have to provide detail about the amount of Merino content in the sheep or lambs.
All lambs, hoggets and mutton sheep are eligible for MSA. They must be in excess of 16 kilograms for lambs and 18kg for hoggets and mutton, and they all have to have a fat score greater than 2 and GR fat measurement greater than 6 millimetres. They must be a minimum of a fortnight off-shears before slaughter, the total time off feed should be no longer than 48 hours before slaughter, stress during curfew, transport and abattoir lairage must be at a minimal level, and access to water during on-farm curfew and at the lairage is an absolute must.
It is really very simple, but there are many lamb producers who will have little opportunity to take advantage of this system of grading because of to the sheer tyranny of distance. Producers on the far west coast would find it near-impossible to adhere to the 48 hours off feed to the time of slaughter component of the regulations. Fortunately, the requirement for MSA lambs is limited only at this early stage, but, in my opinion, the time will come where meat companies will require a far more rigid set of transport logistics and kill-time ratios for stock.
* Full report in Stock Journal, September 5 issue, 2013.