01.From farm to feedlot
When it comes to the steak on your dinner table, there's more than one path it may have taken from the paddock to your plate.
We've looked at the major steps on the journey:
Down on the farm
There are more than 70,000 beef producers
in Australia managing 27 million head of
cattle. But the cattle aren’t all treated in
the same way. The market has developed
two main ways of producing meat to
satisfy consumer demands.
- The sustainable path: For farms
practising this model, animal treatment,
tracing of origin (or provenance) and soil
health are central themes, as is the health
value of the meat. Rotational grazing,
where cattle are moved around rather than
being left in one pasture, is popular as it
gives the grass an opportunity to regrow
and minimises compaction of soil.
However, this model is resource
intensive, and it can result in more
expensive meat for consumers.
- The industrial production model
is how most beef finds its way to the
supermarket shelves. Here, making a profit
tends to takes precedence over soil health,
provenance and in some cases even
quality of the meat. Cows raised
this way generally spend
their early months or
years on a farm, before
moving to a feedlot to
be fattened on a high-protein
grain diet.
Soil aids, such as
phosphate, can provide
farmers with near immediate
boosts
in pasture growth.
While the
chemicals used under the industrial model don’t
pose a direct risk
to consumers, the
nutritional standard
of grass that has been
exposed to chemicals
and not allowed to
flourish naturally by
rotational grazing and
complementary farming
methods is questioned by
advocates of biodynamics. Some are
critical of the nutritional density (the
protein content and number of other
nutrients present) of beef produced under
industrial practices.
Feedlot frenzy
A feedlot, or “finishing yard”,
is a confined area where cattle
are fed a high-protein, grain-based
diet to maximise weight
gain before sale. As most
cattle are sold by the kilogram
rather than by quality, it’s
common for farmers to feel
pressured to produce cattle of a
marketable weight as quickly as
possible, regardless of factors
that can affect animal growth,
such as climate and rainfall.
This has contributed to the
development of feedlots.
Dougal Gordon, CEO of
the Australian Lot Feeders’Association, the peak
national body for the feedlot
industry, says that in addition
to this, consumer demand for
grain-fed beef has encouraged
feedlot “finishing” of cattle. Grain-fed beef
has a softer texture and richer flavour than
pasture-fed beef. In order to market beef as "grain fed" in Australia, cows must
spend between 60 and 70 days in a feedlot
on a high-protein grain diet. For export,
this requirement increases to 100 days.
Australia currently has about 600
accredited feedlots and according to Gornon, between 70-80% of all cattle
produced for our two major supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths,
spend 60 - 70 days in a feedlot
before being taken to the abattoir.
Glenys Oogjes, executive director of
animal protection organisation Animals Australia, says that while the feedlot
sector is well regulated, there are some
problems with the current standard.
“There is a problem inherent in taking
a grazing animal out of a paddock and
putting it on a high-protein grain diet
in a pen. From a behavioural and welfare
point of view, we are concerned.”
Inadequate shelter for animals in
feedlots is also a concern. Some do offer
shade, according to Gordon, but it is not
a legal requirement. The RSPCA argues
that even cattle breeds adapted to hotter
climates naturally seek shade,
and feedlots should provide this
shade without compromising the ability
to dry out the pens following wet weather.
Gordon says about 60% of cattle in all
feedlots currently have access to shade
and believes the remainder are mostly
located in southern and alpine areas.
Upon arriving at a feedlot, some cattle
are given hormone growth promotants
(HGPs). While the World Health
Organization and the Australian
government allow the use of HGPs in animals for human consumption, the EU
does not. Gordon says animals that have
been injected with HGPs – which can
improve growth rates by 15-30% – aren’t
inferior to those that haven’t, although it
does reduce marbling, which contributes
to flavour. Coles has stopped selling beef
with HGPs and Woolworths also offers
some HGP-free beef products.
Accredited feedlots are independently
audited on an annual basis for animal
welfare, environmental and food safety issues. The program is also independently owned and managed with Government representatives ensuring that any issues are resolved appropriately. However, audits are announced
and results are not publically available.