All cattle being processed in Irish beef plants will be graded by machine rather than by humans from later this year.
Agreement has been reached to replace Department of Agriculture classification officers with mechanical carcass grading machines following nearly two years of negotiation.
The Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, yesterday welcomed the industry-wide agreement on the part of beef processors to proceed with the introduction of mechanical carcass grading. He said there had been overwhelming response to the Scheme of Grant Assistance towards the purchase and installation costs of mechanical carcass grading machines from the meat plants which had complained about the costs involved in installing the machines.
He said the response was a welcome indication of the firm commitment on the part of the industry to the project.
The Grant Scheme closed on Tuesday last for applications and the Minister expressed the view that machines will be in place during the summer, in accordance with the timetable provided to him by the industry.
Mr Walsh said there had been a renewed commitment from all parties in favour of the introduction of grading by objective mechanical means and the project was now in full swing.
He expressed gratitude to the industry and its representative organisations for their steadfast efforts in arriving at this point. In the context of meeting the demands for a programmed transition to mechanical grading, the Minister agreed to postpone the withdrawal of Department classification officers to August 1st, 2004. The move to mechanical grading was included in Sustaining Progress.
Mr Kieran Fitzgerald, director of IBEC's food and drinks sector, said the issue of cost had been the main difficulty in moving to the mechanical system. The new calibrated system would be of great assistance to both the factories and producers, he added.