Michael Crowley is the General Manager of Research, Development, and Adoption at Meat & Livestock Australia.
Innovation boosting Australia’s red meat industry
Michael Crowley
Australia’s red meat industry is harnessing innovation to tackle three key issues: carbon neutrality by 2030, biosecurity, and market access.
Australian red meat is defying rusted-on stereotypes, with industry leaders recognising that innovation is crucial for the sector’s future.
Michael Crowley, the General Manager of Research, Development, and Adoption at Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), shares his insights on four key issues the industry is tackling head-on to ensure maximum impact for its beef, lamb and goatmeat producers.
Carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30) target
In 2017, the Australian red meat industry set the ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30).
“To achieve that target, we need to accelerate progress – and we need the whole of industry to buy in to get us there,” Michael says.
A few examples of the technological solutions to reduce methane emissions in livestock include:
· A red seaweed extract used as an additive in cattle feed
· A focus on lower-methane-emitting livestock breeds
· Adding more legumes to the pasture feedbase.
“Legumes have condensed tannins in their leaves that naturally reduce methane emissions and increase productivity through improved weight gain.”
“Using legumes in pastures means more kilograms of production per hectare, as well as a positive environmental outcome in terms of improved soil health and emission reduction,” Michael says.
Alongside the industry’s CN30 target, the Federal Government also has a range of financial incentives to help farmers and others in the agricultural industry take practical steps towards carbon neutrality. Key programs and strategies include a Technology Investment Roadmap, Emissions Reduction Fund, and Agricultural Biodiversity Stewardship Package.
Biosecurity
There are several research and development projects underway to improve the health and welfare of livestock, as well as the productivity and integrity of the Australian red meat industry.
These projects primarily focus on:
· Creating on-farm biosecurity plans that include measures to reduce the risk of introducing and/or spreading an infectious disease, pest or weed onto properties.
· Implementing industry biosecurity programs that aim to prevent and control emergency animal diseases.
· Containing disease outbreaks to prevent spread between businesses, states, and countries.
· Creating vaccination protocols to prevent and contain the spread of disease.
· Monitoring and evaluation of perceived and actual biosecurity risks to the industry.
“A key biosecurity priority for the Australian red meat industry in 2022 has been assisting state and federal governments to keep Australia free of foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease,” Michael says.
Numerous industry organisations have partnered up to manage the biosecurity risks around these diseases, providing technical expertise and investment in potential prevention and treatment solutions, including mRNA vaccines.
“Biosecurity is essential to our market access as we remain free from several exotic animal diseases and plant pests.”
Market access
According to Michael, there are several big opportunities for red meat in global markets, such as the EU.
“We are negotiating with the EU to deliver more favourable market access conditions as part of a comprehensive free trade agreement,” he says.
Meanwhile, the industry continues to add value through product innovation to bolster trade opportunities. One project in particular has explored extracting collagen from animal hides and skins, which are now being developed into food-grade collagen – as well as collagen for the beauty and medical industries.
“These diverse innovations show the industry is testing its mettle for future challenges, providing better market access for our producers,” Michael says.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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