Submissions on the Australian Beef Language White Paper, which is promoting significant modifications to the AUS-MEAT system based on the concept the consumer is the critical point in the value chain, are opened until February 19.

Key driver of the review the Cattle Council of Australia said many recommendations had the potential to save producers thousands of dollars by reducing discounting and Meat Standards Australia non-grades.

A principle of the white paper, however, has been the concept that modifications and additions accommodate new opportunities but do not preclude trading under current descriptions.

As with most things in Australia’s beef industry, opinions are split and some stakeholders are arguing for remaining in the commodity space.

While CCA, the peak producer organisation, believes that on a cost-of-production basis, Australia can’t compete globally and capitalising on the quality of our product is the way of the future, it acknowledges the need for collaboration and compromise in the arena of transitioning to value based marketing (VBM).

CCA independent director north David Hill said producers had been frustrated for a long time on being paid on weight and dentition and wanted objective carcase measurements which the world of red meat science was now delivering.

Indeed, the authors of the white paper said recommendations were underpinned by the idea that ‘improved technology will deliver increased accuracy, automation and objective measurements for many beef language traits. These measurements will replace current subjective appraisal when their cost and accuracy meets industry needs.’

From smartphone meat colour sensors to three dimensional cameras for measuring marbling, technology breakthroughs in this space have been arriving thick and fast in recent years.

Both Mr Hill, and CCA president Howard Smith, said beef language had to be about eating quality outcomes in the modern world of Australian beef production.

“Given consumers are the ones we need to satisfy, they need to be the main focus and we need to describe our product on a consumer-needs basis,” Mr Hill said.

“Dentition is not a reliable indication of age and it means nothing to a consumer.

“A key element of VBM is in describing a product to the consumer in a way they relate to.”

Mr Smith said specifications with no relevance to consumer requirements, such as dentition, were distorting key market indicators and resulting in price discounts for producers.

“The difference in returns for getting an animal in premium space today are significant, up to $300 a head, whereas in days gone by, the difference wasn’t that great,” he said.

He urged producers to provide feedback, saying the more interest shown by the grassfed sector for implementing change, the more likely it would be that occurred.

The white paper was close to years in the making. The AUS-MEAT system, which is internationally recognised under many free trade agreements, has not been reviewed since it was formed in 1980.

The white paper can be accessed at http://www.beeflanguagereview.org.