An independent expert group, chaired by MLA, has created a new document that sets out a common language of terminology to describe livestock for the Australian beef industry.
The National Bovine Livestock Language Guidelines bring together a set of common descriptive words for beef cattle in a way that also aligns industry terminology with consumer terminology.
The document intends to define terminology of a broad range of production topics including physical descriptions, fat score, muscle score, breed descriptions, coats and hides and many others.
The guidelines were developed following extensive industry consultation along the whole supply chain and across northern and southern production systems. The aim was to deliver improved communication from the property of origin, through the value chain, to the international consumer where such terms can be linked through existing AUS-MEAT Language and UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) international code.
The guidelines are administered by AUS-MEAT, which will oversee amendments to the Guidelines as technology evolves.