Farmers want beef grading system changed, says Macra
Its president Seamus Phelan told Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh that farmers have no confidence in the current system of grading by eye.
He said there are many vested interests that oppose a move to mechanical grading but it is crucial to encourage farmers to produce quality stock.
Mr Phelan said a lot of research has been done on various machines, which are being used in other countries.
As of yet the EU has not approved them because they did not compare 100% with the findings of human graders. Therefore, the machines were deemed to be slightly inaccurate.
Mr Phelan said it is about time that serious political weight was put behind the introduction of mechanical grading. The issue will be one of its priorities at the partnership talks.
Limerick West Fine Gael TD Dan Neville also raised the issue in the Dáil when he asked Mr Walsh if he will introduce a mechanical grading system for the purpose of classifying beef carcasses.
Mr Walsh said he fully supports the introduction of a mechanical classification system and will continue to do everything possible to progress the matter. The decision to allow technical grading is one which will be taken at EU level.
Mechanical grading trials were carried out in Ireland in August 1999 and March 2000.
Similar trials were also carried out in Germany, Denmark and France. He said the consensus was that the trials in Ireland had been carried out in a highly professional manner.
While the three machines involved achieved high accuracy results in relation to conformation and meat content of the carcasses, they were less accurate in relation to fatness.
In general, they failed to attain the standards set down by the EU Commission in a draft regulation setting standards to be met by these machines prior to their approval for classification purposes.
Mr Walsh said that following discussion in the EU Beef Management Committee, the commission agreed to carry out a pilot test to examine whether the standards and procedures set out in the draft regulation were practicable.
Germany was selected as the venue for the pilot test and a trial was carried out in September last year in which his department was involved.
Based on the results of this trial, a draft regulation is now being formulated by the EU Commission which will set down the standards to be met by the machines and the procedures for approving them.
Publication of such a regulation will clear the way for the development of a machine which will be capable of meeting the required standards in Ireland, he said.
