Meatworks get use of 'holy grail'

By PHILIPPA STEVENSON and NZPA

A DNA-based system capable of tracing meat from a pack of lamb cuts in a British supermarket back to different New Zealand farms is being installed in Richmond's seven North Island meatworks.

AgResearch scientists have spent four years developing the Easi-trace system, which involves a drop of blood being attached to the ticket which every carcass already has.

It has been applied to more than a million carcasses without any alteration to normal cutting-room procedure.

AgResearch scientist Grant Shackell said that health scares in the Northern Hemisphere meant traceability had become a holy grail for meat importers there.

The present mechanical labelling systems were not practical for use with meat that underwent further processing.

Mr Shackell said the technology was at this stage simply an audit tool to verify the origin of meat products, but as DNA typing became more rapid and cost-efficient, a refined system could be used to link marketplace information on meat quality back to individual animals and the genetic background of sires.

DNA testing could also be used for brand protection. New Zealand labels are often counterfeited because of our reputation for animal health and environmental quality.