Now available: disease and defect feedback for beef producers.

Disease and defect feedback data is now available to a number of producers supplying cattle to NH Foods processing facilities located in Wingham, NSW & Oakey, QLD and JBS Australia’s (JBS) Brooklyn site. Northern Co-operative Meat Company (NCMC) will be next to launch to producers via Livestock Data Link (LDL).  

This will allow producers to monitor disease prevalence in their livestock and make informed decisions to maximise carcase yield outcomes and profitability.

How to access the data

Producers will be able to access feedback and reporting via LDL on disease and defects that were identified as part of the post-mortem inspection, and access the Solutions to Feedback library.

LDL is an online program that enables timely sharing of carcase information between participating processors and their producers with the aim of optimising supply chain performance.

What data is available

The new beef disease and defect report in LDL will initially report on five conditions:

• Liver Abscesses
• Liver Fluke
• Hydatids
• Nephritis
• Pneumonia

Over time, feedback on additional conditions will be made available.

Where it all started

Animal disease and defect reporting has become available via an industry project with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) to enhance the utilisation and sharing of disease and defect data for the benefit of the supply chain.

This proof of concept project is operating under the Health for Wealth Rural Research and Development for Profit (RRD4P) project banner.

The project aims to develop a standardised approach to data collection on disease-related carcase and offal condemnations and a nationally agreed, consistent feedback system to beef, goatmeat, pork and sheepmeat producers. Further information on the project can be found via the RRD4P briefing note for Enhancing Supply Chain Profitability through Reporting and Utilisation of Peri-mortem Information by Livestock Producers. 

Processors will offer workshops over time to introduce producers to the animal disease and defect feedback and how changing on-farm practices can improve carcase performance.