The European Union only accepts beef from cattle which have not been given Hormone Growth Promotants (HGPs).
To make sure that Australian beef supplied to the EU meets this regulatory standard, the Australian beef industry established the European Union Cattle Accreditation Scheme (EUCAS). Under the system, cattle destined for Europe are completely segregated, resulting in a completely separate supply chain for HGP-free cattle.
For cattle to be deemed HGP-free, they must come from a EUCAS-accredited farm. A farm is only eligible for accreditation if the property is completely free from HGP-use, and has all its cattle identified with a NLIS central database-approved device. EUCAS cattle can never enter a non-accredited property, and only animals certified as HGP-free can be used for breeding on EUCAS properties.
All EUCAS cattle must be fully traceable from farm to plate. From the farm, EUCAS cattle are tracked through a completely segregated supply chain of accredited producers, feedlots, saleyards and EU listed abattoirs. Any cattle with a missing ID tag is not be eligible for slaughter.
More information
- Australia’s unique system for EU red meat: http://agriculture.gov.au/export/controlled-goods/meat/elmer-3/eucas/rules
FOOD SAFETYSUPPLY CHAINON FARMPROCESSINGQUALITYFEEDLOT SECTORHORMONESTRADE & STATISTICS
Article Date: 6th May 2019
