ANTHRAX.

 

HALAL MEAT: HOW TO TAP INTO THE MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY.

 Halal is Arabic for permissible. Halal food is that which adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the Koran. The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry, dhabiha, involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe. 

 The global halal meat market size is expected to grow at a Compound annual growth rate of 7.8% during the forecast period (2021–2030). Growing consumer awareness about the certification methods that offer varied benefits is anticipated to be a major driving factor boosting the demand for halal-certified products. 

The perception attributed to the methods is important while knowing the choice of customers in consideration with the product they would prefer to buy.

 The halal meat market is a growing market as people are becoming more aware of the health benefits it provides. More than 50% of non-Muslims are aware of the concept of ‘halal’ that is associated with cleanliness and hygiene. 

It is a healthy way to consume meat because you are sure its hygienically processed and all food safety protocols are adopted. 

2) It is a good niche market if you want to join the exporting arm of the meat industry .The importation of meat and poultry products into Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”) nations, and other Islamic countries, is big business. 

 HOW TO TAP IN....

  

Green approaches to managing waste from slaughter houses.

 

 The amount of waste generated by slaughterhouses is a growing concern for many communities. In order to address this issue, it’s important that we consider green approaches for managing these wastes in an environmentally friendly way. 

This blog post will explore the various green strategies available and discuss why they are beneficial from both an environmental and economic standpoint. 

By adopting more sustainable methods of dealing with slaughterhouse waste, businesses can not only reduce their impact on the environment but also save money in the long run.

 What Is Slaughterhouse Waste? The term ‘slaughterhouse waste’ generally refers to any type of material produced during animal processing activities at a meat-processing facility or abattoir such as blood, fat, bone meal and other organic materials resulting from carcass disposal processes.

 It may also include wastewater used in cleaning operations which contains high levels of pollutants including nitrogenous compounds (ammonia), phosphates (phosphorus) and heavy metals like lead or zinc which have been introduced into water systems through improper use or management techniques employed by some facilities over time.

 These contaminants pose serious risks to human health if left untreated before entering our waterways so proper management practices must be implemented to ensure safe disposal procedures are followed at all times 

 Benefits Of Green Approaches For Managing Wastes From Slaughter Houses.  

Implementing green solutions when dealing with slaughter house wastes has numerous benefits: ranging from improved air quality due to reduced odors associated with traditional rendering plants; decreased energy consumption since less fuel is needed for transportation; lower costs related to disposing hazardous materials offsite; better working conditions within local neighborhoods because there won't be large piles of rotting animal remains present outside abattoirs anymore plus potential savings on insurance premiums. 

 Additionally using renewable sources such as biodigesters can help generate biogas which can then power nearby homes instead relying heavily polluting fossil fuels - making it even more attractive proposition overall! 

 Finally implementing best practice technologies like automated sorting machines allow us separate out different types recyclable items quickly efficiently while still maintaining safety standards set forth industry guidelines ensuring no contamination enters food chain either directly indirectly via leaching etc... All these advantages combined make going down route much greener approach managing slaughter house wastes compared older ways doing things! 

 Strategies To Reduce Pollution And Improve Efficiency At Slaughterhouses.

  There are several strategies that can be put into place in order improve efficiency manage pollution output slaughter houses:

 Firstly: installing modern equipment necessary to process larger amounts animals. The faster reducing turnaround times thus decreasing waiting periods of customers who want purchase fresh produce.

 Secondly: investing in alternative energy sources mentioned earlier provide clean reliable source powering the abattoir. 

 Thirdly : setting up effective treatment system to handle wastewater safely preventing any harmful toxins seeping back into surrounding ecosystems. 

 Lastly:recycling reusable parts products whenever possible example bones, fats, oils horns, hides hooves wool collagen others – utilizing them create new goods rather than just throwing away would greatly benefit bottom line business sustainability wise.

  In addition to above measures, enforcing strict regulations and penalty fines for those failing to comply would go long way towards keeping everyone accountable and responsible. 

Actions taken on a day to day basis ultimately leads to a healthier cleaner, safer, society and world .

 In conclusion : ultimately implementing comprehensive policies handling slaughter house waste is key to tackling problem and achieving greater success protecting environment for future generations. There are multiple options available to choose from ,each its own unique advantages /disadvantages depending on the particular situation. 

However one thing is certain : taking proactive steps now is always better option than waiting until damage is done to an irreversible point. Thus looking for alternatives should start sooner than later.

I highly recommended  a move to a  path of sustainability progress by moving the world closer to becoming fully Eco-friendly planet !

BEEF: What does your beef customer want?

 

What does your beef customer want? Understanding your beef customer starts with knowing your true buyer, then doing what it takes to meet their needs. 

 Do you know who your customer is? When I ask that question most people get this vision of the end consumer in mind, and possibly the thought of a foreign trade deal tries to slide into their mind as well. 

 The definition of the word customer is: a person or organization that buys goods and/or services from a business. To be direct the person who writes you a check for the cattle you sold is your customer. Unless you direct market the end consumer is not your customer. 

 The way to offer better service to your customer is know your market. What do the buyers willing to spend the most money there want? Figure that out and give it to them. In doing this you cannot cut corners, or pull up short.

 Understanding ‘reputation’ 

 This week I saw a few big strings of reputation cattle sell. The first bunch in this example were weaned thirty plus days. They were all black, vaccinated and on a feed program. These cattle were not the market toppers that day, as one might expect. Two buyers that could have bid them up chose not to. 

 The problem with this bunch is the feed program they are on. It is a good program, to a point. The cattle will eat the stuff, and they will gain. If you start them on it and leave them on it the feed program is awesome. 

The problem is when a customer buys them, and is trying to make money with them, that person will feed them more economically. To be direct, the two times I bought these cattle it was like my back grounding yard became rehab. Not all of them make it out of rehab.

#beef

Purina fermentation product supports feed efficiency in feedlot cattle.

 

Purina fermentation product supports feed efficiency in feedlot cattle.Feed costs are a constant consideration for cattle feeders. Improving feed efficiency, even by a small margin, can pay big dividends in the long run. “If cattle eat less and gain the same, it’s a nice advantage because you save on the amount you’re feeding. 

5The cattle industry has continually focused on improving feed efficiency through nutrition and genetics,” said Ron Scott, Ph.D., director of beef technical innovation with Purina Animal Nutrition. “Purina EfficienZ fermentation product is designed to help take things a step further.” 

The use of fermented feed is an age-long method to achieve feed efficiency and promote animal health.read 

 The new EfficienZ fermentation product is a non-nutritive feed additive available in select Purina supplements to support feed efficiency and help improve feed conversion in finishing cattle rations by optimizing rumen function.

Read Beef magazine.on side bar.

The Halal Meat Market: a Booming Goldmine.

What is Halal meat? 

Halal is Arabic for permissible. Halal food is that which adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the Koran. The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry, dhabiha, involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe. 

 The global halal meat market size is expected to grow at a Compound annual growth rate of 7.8% during the forecast period (2021–2030). Growing consumer awareness about the certification methods that offer varied benefits is anticipated to be a major driving factor boosting the demand for halal-certified products. 

The perception attributed to the methods is important while knowing the choice of customers in consideration with the product they would prefer to buy. 

      

    What is Halal meat? 

 Moreover, there are other driving factors involved that will increase the demand for halal meat in the coming years. Factors such as growing spending of customers to buy food, lifestyle changes, and the ever-growing middle-class populations in developing countries. 

  Top Key Market Drivers: 

The halal meat market is a growing market as people are becoming more aware of the health benefits it provides. More than 50% of non-Muslims are aware of the concept of ‘halal’ that is associated with cleanliness and hygiene. 

Overall 47% of people are aware of the concept. Young people are more aware and woke in terms of understanding different cultural concepts. It was found that 63% of the young population between the age of 18 and 24 thoroughly know the concept. In the halal meat concept, animals are killed according to Islamic Shariah law. 

This law states that the animal should be treated nicely when alive and should be slaughtered by hand. The goal is to minimize the pain for the animal while it is being killed. This method has an advantage in quality, wholesomeness, and edibility. Slaughtering an animal in a kind manner is more humane as compared to slaughtering it with a machine. Thus, this law is anticipated to boost market growth to a great extent. 

Halal meat market and why its booming all over the world.

 WHY BOTHER ABOUT HALAL MEAT? 

1) It is a healthy way to consume meat because you are sure its hygienically processed and all food safety protocols are adopted. 

2) It is a good niche market if you want to join the exporting arm of the meat industry .The importation of meat and poultry products into Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”) nations, and other Islamic countries, is big business. 

 3)The Muslim population reached 1.8 billion in 2015 and it is expected to be the world’s fastest growing religious group, increasing by 70% to almost 3 billion people by 2060, according to the forecast made by Pew Research Center. 

             Read more about Halal.

Very good news for the halal meat industry, seeing that the main driver for this market is set by the Muslim expenditure on halal meat and related products.

Meat inspection and food safety concerns: open data kit (ODK)that Uganda is using to improve livestock disease surveillance and reporting.

 

Open Data Kit to improve livestock disease surveillance and reporting in Uganda.Surveillance of livestock diseases is key to reduce their harm to livelihoods, development and even humans. Meat inspectors in Uganda are using the Open Data kit (ODK) tool to improve animal disease surveillance and reporting, and sharing their experiences and knowledge with peers. The tool was rolled out at a training workshop held in October 2021 at the Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB). 

 The workshop aimed to boost, retool and equip inspectors in routine meat inspection procedures, hands-on skills in meat hygiene and food safety procedures, and knowledge of meat inspection regulations and standards. 

  Ensuring wholesome beef.

 How ODK works .

ODK is an open-source mobile data collection platform that enables users to fill out forms offline and send data to a server when a connection is found. 

 why reforms are necessary.

Once on the server, the data can be viewed, downloaded and acted upon. In the first six weeks following the training, the meat inspectors had uploaded more than 300 reports to the ILRI server.

 Collected data can be used to determine prevalence of diseases, locations and age-group of animals affected, and inform response. 

 Speaking at the review meeting, Annie Cook, a senior scientist at ILRI, commended the inspectors for their interest in improving the reporting of data on disease surveillance at the points of slaughter, saying: 'As pioneers at using the ODK tool in the meat inspection sector, your feedback and input is important in refining the tool so that it is useful and can be used in the future.' 

 Reporting their experiences, the meat inspectors noted that the tool was user-friendly and most did not have major challenges in uploading data. 

 

Beef supply chain emissions can be reduced by more than 30% by 2030.

New and emerging technologies and management practices all offer significant opportunities.Beef supply chain contributions to global GHG emissions need to go down, and they can. 

Rabobank anticipates the market will be the most effective driver of GHG emissions reduction and believes that beef supply chain emissions can be reduced by more than 30% by 2030 in major markets.

 But in order to unlock the opportunities, leadership is needed. All sectors and supply chains need to reduce emissions, and the beef supply chain is no exception. 

Beef supply chains account for about 6% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, of which about half are accounted for by the beef production stage of the supply chain. 

 New and emerging technologies and management practices – covering feed production, cattle breeding, cattle feeding, and soil and pasture management – all offer significant opportunities to reduce emissions. 

But that is not the only resource, global beef supply chain emissions can also be reduced significantly by transferring best practices from the most efficient beef supply chains to less efficient ones. The main driver will be the market. 

 #Agribusiness #Beef #Environment #Climatechange #SDGS.#foodsafety. 

  How onions in cattle feed can reduce emissions.

Agribusiness : leveraging on the franchise model in the red meat value chain to create wealth.

 How to grow your niche in the red meat value chain using the franchise model.Franchising as simple as it looks, its a powerful business tool for expansion , growth.  and wealth creation.

Franchising in the red meat value chain is an easy strategy to expand the red meat value chain, in terms of investors, unemployed youths and cattle merchants.

   Franchising in the red meat value chain using meat markets and hubs as our focus. You want to tap into the red meat value chain? want to have a meat market or hub in your area? you are young but want a side hustle or you are young and unemployed with interest in red meat business? Welcome to the red meat hub.

Franchising in the red meat value chain. How will you key in to the business? Take a trip to a registered abattoir and watch operations in the mechanized abattoir. Follow through the process and link up with operators that have a brand they promote or operators that just slaughter ,cut and package for you for onward delivery to your store.

 Scenario 1: abattoir operator has a brand that sells packed beef, and beef products. Meet the operator, discuss on franchising his brand in your neighborhood and beyond. 

The franchisee agrees to terms of operation and he starts to collect beef,branded by abattoir operator at minimal cost.  The advantage of this model is that franchisee provides outlet, pays for startup cost  ( employers) along side other logistics, the brand expands all over.

   

 Dr. Henrietta Ojuri, value chain strategist.

 Scenario 2: Abattoir operator has a beef brand that markets beef an beef products. The operator creates an  investment pool by rolling out investment plans by way of franchising. The investors pay a token to join the investment pool and the operator provides branded refrigerators for investors.  Investors collect specified amount of products without paying upfront but will remit money on specified dates as stipulated in the contract.

 Advantage here is there is a pool of investors creating brand awareness all over, there is a token payable by startup and this model will  attract young entrepreneurs in the red meat value chain.

Scenario 3: There is no brand you want to hook up with but still interested? Go to the abattoir, mechanized slaughtering and hook up with operator. Buy a cow, slaughter in the mechanized line, cut to different sizes(1kg/2kg) then get a cooling van/refrigerated van to transport meat to your location. The different stages attracts costs , so how do you rejig this model? Next time, we conclude.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTMENT IN THE RED MEAT VALUE CHAIN.

  The red meat value chain is vast but windows of opportunities can be harnessed easily using the V.A.I.M strategy.

  

 

The chart is clear, opportunities abound: abattoir, meat shops e.t.c. What is your niche. There is an export potential for meat and meat products in the red meat value chain,but its not limited . The horns, hooves, tail hair called switch also attract forex.

 

Dr.Henrietta Ojuri, value chain strategist.

        

 How about solving the power problem? be the electricity distribution agency in your area👀, its possible. Biogas project!!!💰💰💰💰. Collect waste from abattoir/ feedlot and generate power, waste can also be processed  and sold as fertilizer.

 Road  to wealth in red meat value chain.

AGRIBUSINESS: RED MEAT VALUE CHAIN.

 Red meat value chain is a lucrative business with potential for both local and foreign markets.. 

The red meat value chain  spans from the farm, to the processing of wholesome beef ,to export of by-products ,use of the waste for biogas and fertilizer.

The red meat value chain holds enormous possibilities with several sub units or subsections that can flood your  bank account with millions.

 The red meat value chain; interested in starting an abattoir? Are you thinking mechanized? fully mechanized or semi mechanized. 

 The choice depends on your project goal,are  you  thinking of starting small then scaling up? semi mechanized is for you.  Going all out? then fully automated is your choice.

 The difference between the two types of abattoir are the  machines, equipment and handling protocols. 

  

Agribusiness: Goat processing in an abattoir.

  Interested in abattoir business? thinking  of investing in the sheep and goat business? planning to start an abattoir to provide wholesome products to the populace? then take a look at this clean method of dehairing sheep and goat.

   

Agribusiness: food safety in Africa’s informal markets must be driven by consumers.

Listeria in processed meat products from South Africa, E. Coli in romaine lettuce in the US, Salmonella in eggs across Europe and Campylobacter in chicken liver pâté in Australia.

These are among the many pathogens and foods at the centre of recent food safety crises worldwide, estimated to impact as many people as infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB.

 But while deaths and illnesses from unsafe food hit countries worldwide, the incidences of these illnesses and lost lives are disproportionately high in Africa.

 Across the continent, tainted food kills about 140 000 people every year, and leaves 91 million more suffering from diarrhoea, tapeworm, hepatitis and even dysentery and typhoid.

 This is on course to become even worse as income growth and urbanization in Africa are enabling better, more diverse diets.

 Ironically, these healthier foods – such as dairy, eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables – are more likely to be contaminated.

#beef #abattoir #Lagosmeatreform #foodbank

Abattoirs: Coronavirus can spread over 8m at cutting floor in slaughter houses.

Abattoirs: Coronavirus can spread over 8m at cutting floor in slaughter houses. Circumstances at a cutting floor can help SARS-CoV-2 spread over distances over 8 metres. That has become clear in a case study about the first wave of Covid-19 outbreaks in May, at Germany’s largest slaughterhouse, owned by Tönnies.

 The study also showed that all infections during this first wave of Covid-19 outbreaks originated with just one employee. It occurred because a slaughterhouse employee got in touch with employees of an infected plant of a different packer, Westcrown, located in Dissen. Thirdly, employee housing did not play a major role in that first wave, which occurred in late May.

 In mid-June a second wave followed, which caused the meatpacker to close its doors for almost a month. The research was carried out by a joint study of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, the University Medical Center Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf and the Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology.

 The study showed that the virus most likely spread from 1 single employee who was working on the cutting floor for beef. This employee indicated that together with a colleague, he had been in touch with employees of the sow cutting floor at Westcrown in Dissen, Lower Saxony. He did so after Covid-19 had been detected in that plant.

 The Tönnies employee did not demonstrate any clinical signs of the virus and the contact with Westcrown employees was not considered to be a high-risk contact, which is why the employee continued to show up at work. At 3 days after the meeting, the employee was tested and one day later a positive result followed, for both the employee as well as the colleague. Both then had to go into quarantine.

 The researchers also zoomed in on the routes the virus took from this one employee to the other employees within Tönnies. From that research, it emerged that most colleagues within an 8m radius around the infected colleague had also tested positive.

In the study it was therefore concluded that virus particles can be transmitted over longer distances under the conditions of a cutting floor. Professor Adam Grundhoff, co-author of the research, said, “Our results indicate that the conditions during cutting enhance the aerosol transfer of SARS-CoV-2 particles over longer distances,think of the lower temperature and a limited input of fresh air in combination with heavy manual labour.

 It is very likely that these factors in general play a crucial role in outbreaks all over the world in meat or fish processing companies. Obviously, under those conditions, a distance of 1.5 to 3 metres are insufficient to prevent transmission.”

 There is a need to improve physical distancing in the slaughter houses as well as use better protective equipment to enhance safety.

Meat processing companies such as Cargill are protecting workers by provision of face shields, barriers between work stations, hair nets, boots and lots more.

The use of face shields in slaughter houses is a welcome development alongside maintaining required distance as well as use of hand sanitizers or washing hands with soap and water.

 More on research here

Pig producers considers stopping castration.

 Pig producers considers  stopping  castration.

10 pig producers’ organisations in Western France are considering to stop castrating piglets as from December 31, 2021.

 The organisations represent a respectable part of the country’s producers. The proposal of the 10 organisations is a reaction to a decision by Didier Guillaume, France’s minister for agriculture and food.His aim is to improve animal welfare in France’s pig industry and one of his measures is that, after 2021, castration will only be allowed when anesthetics are applied.


 The intention is that the basis price for pigs will be adjusted. The collectives feel that gilts as well as entire boars will form the reference for pig prices as from 2021.

 The slaughterhouses will become the place for checks whether or not carcasses will have boar taint, these could be detected by sniffing at the slaughter line by humans. Additional costs of these checks will be carried jointly by the pig farms that stopped castrating.

Meat processing facilities take action to protect workers.

Meat processing facilities take actions to protect workers. The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting all sectors of the economy but the greatest impact is in the meat /poultry processing sector.

In the wake of the Corona virus pandemic a lot of workers in abattoirs and meat processing plants had the virus which led to closure of such plants.

 A lot of biosecurity protocols was adopted in all abattoirs and meat markets to stem the spread of the virus. In Nigeria,the use of masks is compulsory, hand washing before you enter the abattoir  is also compulsory and physical distancing .

The government also  ensured supervised slaughtering such that operations in abattoirs was on elected days. see

FAO: Meat plant workflows must change to protect laborers.

Workplace dividers at meat and poultry plants may be an improvement as the industry seeks to protect its workers from COVID-19.


       The meat and poultry industry has taken a number of measures to protect its workers during the COVID-19 outbreak, more needs to be done, said Maximo Torero Cullen, assistant director-general and chief economist for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

 Cullen -- who is also a professor on leave at the University of Pacific, Peru -- noted that most processing plants are “labor-intensive” and were not laid out with a workflow that is conducive to social distancing guidelines.

 He showed a photo of a Tyson Foods plant where line workers were separated by plastic dividers, indicating that it is an improvement, but adding, “honestly, this doesn’t seem enough.”

 “A change needs to go deeper than  we are observing today, if we want to keep operating,” said Cullen.

COVID-19 :; FOOD SAFETY IN ABATTOIRS AND MEAT PACKAGING PLANTS.

The prevention of the spread of the corona virus has been ably captured as 1) washing hands with soap under running water for 20 sec or use a hand sanitizer. 2) practice physical distancing, give 2metres space between you and the next person and finally use a face mask.

COVID-19 AND MEAT PACKAGING PLANT.

COVID-19 AND MEAT PACKAGING PLANT. Although the identity of COVID-19's patient zero is still unknown, the virus is widely suspected to have originated in a Wuhan wet market. And one thing is crystal clear: These informal slaughterhouses, along with their more formal counterparts in the factory farming industry, are the perfect place to spread disease. Crowding animals into confined, unsanitary conditions to be slaughtered—mixing blood, guts and feces—creates a petri dish for pathogens. These informal and formal "flu factories" can quickly spread a bat- or bird-borne disease among intermediary animals that humans consume. Slaughterhouses and meat-packing plants are also among the worst COVID-19 hot spots for humans. Some of the largest outbreaks in North America occurred in meatpacking plants.

Bovine tuberculosis a major source of human tuberculosis in Nigeria.

Bovine tuberculosis a major source of human tuberculosis in Nigeria. According to recent reports Nigeria ranks 4th in TB infection worldwide. Statistics also shows that 80% of TB cases in Nigeria are undetected and it claims 1.2 million lives annually,this is a sad scenario for a disease that is preventable and treatable.

Bovine tuberculosis has been identified as a major source of human tuberculosis infections which is usually fatal because of late detection and non-diagnosis.

Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium spp is usually transmitted by aerosol route when one comes into contact with droplets of infected persons. The bacteria can also be transmitted through consumption of products from infected animals such as beef and unpasteurized milk.

 Tuberculosis can affect anybody but there is a higher incidence in men than women,and its also an occupational hazard for butchers,food processors, farmers and veterinarians.


The majority of infections in Nigeria can be traced to the abattoir,making it a foci of infection and re-infection. A percentage of cattle brought in for slaughter often are confirmed as having bovine tuberculosis,with the offals, and lymph nodes riddled with tubercles as shown in the picture.

 Butchers often refer to lungs with TB as "fuku elegusi" and in a bid to convince you its okay,cut part of the raw meat and eat it. This singular act by butchers have caused deaths of many of them who eventually develop tuberculosis,which is usually generalized.

 When the butchers start coughing,nobody thinks its TB, they start taking antibiotics for the cough but it does not stop it. These prolonged used of various antibiotics is the reason there is a prevalence of the drug-resistant type of TB.

These butchers still handle beef,working in the abattoir and spreading the droplets everywhere and even in their homes. Living conditions of most the people working in abattoirs is such that droplets can spread fast,as most live in congested rooms with poor ventilation and very dirty environment.

 A study carried out shows that most of the butchers have tuberculosis,but this is under reported as many of the butchers dont believe TB is real or can cause deaths,instead they link these deaths to rivalry and arrows from jealous colleagues.


 Veterinarians and public health officials are also at great risk of infection. Post mortem inspection is a major point of infection,handling the tuberculous organs is another route of infection and also consumption of tainted meat or offals .

Tuberculosis infection in officers have been overlooked sometimes,going undiagnosed and thereby potentiating the spread.

An officer who served for an extended period in the control post and abattoir recently died of cerebral tuberculosis,buttressing the study that bovine tuberculosis is a key factor of tuberculosis infection in man.