DEXA beneficial for meat industry

WAFarmers has called on meat processors across the country to take up new objective carcase measurement technology that would increase productivity, efficiency and would hit market specifications.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has developed dual energy x-ray absorptionmetry (DEXA) technology which provides scientific measurements of meat yield, fat and bone and offered it to every abattoir in the country, however the majority of processors have resisted the free installation.

WAFarmers Livestock Section President David Slade said the use of DEXA had been proven to increase efficiencies for producers and processors.

“WAFarmers supports the use of this technology in abattoirs as it benefits both processors and producers so that better decisions can be made towards supplying market needs,” Mr Slade said.

“This really is ground-breaking technology, and we applaud MLA for utilising levy funds to develop this for use on sheep and cows.

“Of the abattoirs that have used DEXA thus far, there has been a 20 to 30 per cent increase in efficiency, which is quite a significant result.

“Use of DEXA also gives greater transparency to the producer so they can take the information and alter breeding objectives to meet market demand.

“Given labour shortages in meat processing and the fact that the technology has been proven to work, we would have thought that it would be a no-brainer for processors to take up the technology.”

Mr Slade agreed with MLA Managing Director Richard Norton who said there was no point in pushing the technology onto an industry that does not want it, but hoped processors would come around in time.

“While we agree that the technology is solid, we acknowledge that some processors are not currently in a position to be able to install DEXA,” Mr Slade said.

“We hope that in the future they will be able to take it up and see just how efficiently the technology runs for their business.”

ENDS.

All media requests must be directed to WAFarmers Media and Communications Officer, Melanie Dunn, on (08) 9486 2100 or [email protected].

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