MSA Excellence in Eating Quality awards and forums set to return

Beef producers who consistently deliver superior eating quality beef are set to be recognised when the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) Excellence in Eating Quality series is held nationally throughout September and October.

Hosted by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), the series will travel to each state across the country and include ‘Consumer trends driving on-farm change’ forums and awards presentations.

The forums are designed to equip producers with the tools to make practical on-farm changes to benefit their herd’s eating quality outcomes, the end consumer, and the profitability of the industry.

They will be followed by the announcement of the 2019 MSA Excellence in Eating Quality Award winners. The Awards are presented to producers who have achieved outstanding compliance rates to MSA specifications, as well as high eating quality performance, as represented by MSA Index results for MSA graded cattle during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 financial years.

Awards will be announced in each state for ‘Most Outstanding MSA Feedlot’ and two awards for ‘Most Outstanding MSA Beef Producers’, to recognise producers of both larger and smaller (non-feedlot) MSA consignment volumes. One producer from each state will also win the MSA Excellence in Eating Quality Progress Award for showing the greatest improvement in their MSA results since the last Awards series.

MSA was developed by the Australian red meat industry to improve eating quality consistency. The system is based on almost 800,000 consumer taste tests and takes into account all factors that affect eating quality from the paddock to the plate.

MSA Program Manager, Sarah Strachan, said this year’s forums aim to connect producers with emerging consumer trends and customer requirements, and how to link these to on-farm production decisions.

“Global consumer trends have an impact at the farm gate and it’s important that producers are considering these trends and their customers’ requirements to ensure the ongoing profitability and sustainability of their business. The forums will take a look at the factors driving the purchasing decision of a beef consumer and how producers can use this information on-farm,” Ms Strachan said.

“The forum will launch the 2019 Australian Beef Quality Insights (ABEQI) report as a tool to benchmark MSA performance against other producers and understand the on-farm production factors and choices that impact beef eating quality.

“A diverse range of speakers will be presenting at each forum, including MLA Managing Director Jason Strong, industry experts from the MSA team, MSA processors and brand owners, and beef producers who are seeing meaningful improvements in eating quality performance and profitability as a result of making small, on-farm changes.”

The Awards and producer forums are free and open to everyone, but registration is essential:

Queensland – Tuesday, 10 September 2019, 1.30pm-8.30pm, Biloela ANZAC Memorial Club, 94 Callide Street, Biloela. Click here to register.
New South Wales – Thursday, 12 September 2019, 1.30pm-8.30pm, Wagga Wagga RSL, corner Kincaid and Dobbs Streets, Wagga Wagga. Click here to register.
Victoria – Tuesday, 17 September 2019, 1.30pm-8.30pm, Glen Erin at Lancefield, 200 Rochford (Woodend-Lancefield) Road, Lancefield. Click here to register.
Tasmania – Thursday, 19 September 2019, 1.30pm-8.30pm, Bushrangers Hotel, Top Pub Wynyard, 1 Inglis Street, Wynyard. Click here to register.
South Australia – Tuesday, 1 October 2019, 1.30pm-8.30pm, Naracoorte Town Hall, 95 Smith Street, Naracoorte. Click here to register.
Western Australia – Thursday, 3 October 2019, 1.30pm-8.30pm, Eden Grove Manning Function Centre, Eden Grove Community Precinct, 25 James Stirling Place, Harvey. Click here to register.