Leading the meat market

Wesfarmers Ltd Associate Professor David Pethick and his team of researchers from the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences are setting new quality benchmarks for our lucrative meat industry by developing critical control systems for meat production and harnessing genetic technologies. Their work will help select the best sheep and cattle more quickly and easily.

'WA has some of the top lamb brands and best beef in the world but we must remain one step ahead of competition as far as consistent quality and biosecurity is concerned,' Professor Pethick said.

A recent recipient of the prestigious national Howard W Yelland Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the beef industry, Professor Pethick, who heads the Centre for Production Animal Research at Murdoch, currently manages three separate national programs.

An internationally recognised researcher in the fi eld of animal production, he is at the forefront of the industry by focusing on quality control areas at a scientific level and then applying them to industry.

'What we are trying to do here at Murdoch is mix good solid theoretical science with industry outcomes,' Professor Pethick said.

'This is particularly important in agriculture, because if you don't do that you are not connected.'

A recent study with export ramifi cations included one on intermuscular far in cattle. Known as marbling, it is a feature often unattractive to domestic consumers but highly prized by consumers in Korea and Japan, who are prepared to pay top dollar for such meat.

'We are currently trying to understand its genetic control and are looking for gene markers that, combined with diet, will give us full control of the intramuscular fat expression,' Professor Pethick said.

Parallel work is being undertaken to understand the gene markers affecting tenderness and lean meat yield.

Research under the Meat Standards Australia program had helped to develop critical control points for eating quality of beef and lamb from 'paddock to plate', in a step-by-step procedure form the animal's conception to consumer.

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