Animal welfare crucial - Meatco
294 cattle returned to farm of origin for various reasons
Meatco says there is a need for vigorous producer education combined with improved sanitation at farm level to reduce the number of sick animals delivered to abattoirs.
The welfare of animals delivered to Meatco remains a critical aspect of the certification process for Namibian beef exported to local and international markets.
In its 2023/2024 annual integrated report, Meatco said ensuring animal welfare requires vigilance from the point of origin to the abattoir. This process involves identifying any areas of injury or stress that could compromise the animal's well-being or degrade the quality of the beef.
"Alarmingly, a plethora of issues were still being recorded at the animal receiving point at the abattoir, with 37 clinically sick cattle being delivered and 294 cattle having to be returned to the farm of origin (RFO) for various reasons,” Meatco said.
During the post-mortem process, measles was present in more than 100 cases, the company added.
“This requires renewed and vigorous producer education combined with improved sanitation at farm level to eliminate animals carrying this serious zoonotic disease from those that are delivered to the abattoir.”
The report noted that the level of microbiological compliance remained high, ranging from 97% to 100% on the micro compliance score.
“Of the 128 production days sampled and 132 tests conducted, a modest 12 positive test results were recorded.”
Meatco said this reflects the high levels of hygiene maintained at the abattoir, despite the advanced age of its infrastructure, which has not materially hampered the production of superior meat products.
Quality and safety
The company said that its marketing, sales, logistics and compliance department continues to play an important role in the supervision of meat product production, thereby ensuring that the best quality beef is marketed in the best markets possible to realise maximum returns.
“The department and its staff seek to remain vigilant throughout the value chain and foster a policy of co-operation with stakeholders, rather than merely identifying problems and imposing solutions, for the simple reason that product quality and safety are more than the responsibility of one department; they are the responsibility of all stakeholders at Meatco.”
A crucial factor in improving and maintaining quality and safety is understanding the needs of different stakeholders and maintaining open lines of communication with all stakeholders at all times, Meatco said.
“With droughts and market disruptions a certainty rather than a chance occurrence, the compliance division will continue to improve its agility and strengthen its capacity to deal with the ever-changing environments and still consistently meet the key business performance indicators.”
In its 2023/2024 annual integrated report, Meatco said ensuring animal welfare requires vigilance from the point of origin to the abattoir. This process involves identifying any areas of injury or stress that could compromise the animal's well-being or degrade the quality of the beef.
"Alarmingly, a plethora of issues were still being recorded at the animal receiving point at the abattoir, with 37 clinically sick cattle being delivered and 294 cattle having to be returned to the farm of origin (RFO) for various reasons,” Meatco said.
During the post-mortem process, measles was present in more than 100 cases, the company added.
“This requires renewed and vigorous producer education combined with improved sanitation at farm level to eliminate animals carrying this serious zoonotic disease from those that are delivered to the abattoir.”
The report noted that the level of microbiological compliance remained high, ranging from 97% to 100% on the micro compliance score.
“Of the 128 production days sampled and 132 tests conducted, a modest 12 positive test results were recorded.”
Meatco said this reflects the high levels of hygiene maintained at the abattoir, despite the advanced age of its infrastructure, which has not materially hampered the production of superior meat products.
Quality and safety
The company said that its marketing, sales, logistics and compliance department continues to play an important role in the supervision of meat product production, thereby ensuring that the best quality beef is marketed in the best markets possible to realise maximum returns.
“The department and its staff seek to remain vigilant throughout the value chain and foster a policy of co-operation with stakeholders, rather than merely identifying problems and imposing solutions, for the simple reason that product quality and safety are more than the responsibility of one department; they are the responsibility of all stakeholders at Meatco.”
A crucial factor in improving and maintaining quality and safety is understanding the needs of different stakeholders and maintaining open lines of communication with all stakeholders at all times, Meatco said.
“With droughts and market disruptions a certainty rather than a chance occurrence, the compliance division will continue to improve its agility and strengthen its capacity to deal with the ever-changing environments and still consistently meet the key business performance indicators.”
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