Quality standards and science credited with the continued rise of Angus cattle
Angus beef may dominate dinner plates today, but almost 50 years ago one of the world's most recognised cattle brands was a breed on the brink.
Fearing inconsistent quality was behind declining consumer demand, a group of ranchers roped in a meat scientist from Ohio State University to develop quality standards to make steak great again.
Today, it's estimated 52 per cent of Australia's cattle herd has some Angus genetic influence, made possible by generations of precision breeding focused on consumer satisfaction.
And while the breeders don't claim it is perfect, the rise to dominance alongside premium brands like Wagyu raises the question — could it be?
The foresight to create Certified Angus Beef (CAB) in 1978 has been credited with the breed enjoying name recognition many would envy.
President John Stika said it pushed the industry to focus on producing consistency consumers could rely on.
Mr Stika said they focused on one of the strengths of the Angus breed — producing a well-marbled high-quality product.
Carcasses must meet 10 standards to qualify as Certified Angus Beef, which is then labelled and tracked through merchandising chains to retail stores and restaurants in 50 countries.
"A high level of marbling to ensure the flavour, tenderness and juiciness has been one of the key points of differentiation for our brand since day one," Mr Stika said.
It was not just in America.
In 2023, research commissioned by industry group Angus Australia estimated that over the course of a decade, beef operations that added Angus genetics boosted their profits by a minimum of $116,000.
Chief operating officer Carel Teseling said contemporary research on genetic selection to strengthen eating quality looked at four traits, including one called "shear force".
"That gives you an idea of how much force you need to put on it to chew it and it gives you an indication of the tenderness of the beef."
But before Angus can claim total market dominance, it has to outperform the world's most popular breed, brahman.
Preferred in climates like India and Northern Australia, the breed is heat tolerant and tick resistant.
But Mr Teseling said scientists were investigating a gene mutation that caused animals to have shorter, "slicker" hair that helped them cope with the heat.
"That slick gene is very, very beneficial," he said.
Along with consistent eating quality and good marketing, Professor Alison Van Eenennaam from the University of California said future beef breeds needed to be adaptable and sustainable, right down to their DNA.
"We lose about 20 per cent of animal protein globally to disease," she said.
"If we could go in and tweak the genome to make animals that are no longer susceptible — that to me is a good way to address a disease problem."
She said gene-editing tools like CRISPR could guarantee a specific genetic mutation, like the "slick" gene, and countries like Argentina and Brazil were already adopting it.
"Our major beef competitors are likely to be able to use this technology ... to produce, for example, disease-resistant cattle."
Sinclair Munro's family has bred Angus cattle since 1926 and he's the third generation to chair Angus Australia.
Whether it's new methods or old, he has his eye firmly on sustaining future demand.
"We have got to keep moving and making continuing improvements," he said.
"There's nothing sustainable about beef production when no one likes your beef.
His US counterpart, American Angus Association chief executive Mark McCully, agrees.
With his country's cattle herd decimated by drought, he said it was more important than ever to focus on quality over quantity.
"We've not begun to rebuild our cow herd ... I don't suspect we'll rebuild back to where we were five and 10 years ago," he said.
It may not be perfect, but he said it would "keep cattlemen in business and keep consumers coming back".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
24 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Queensland's Burton coal mine could shut leaving hundreds without work
Hundreds of workers at a Queensland coal mine may lose their jobs as its owner considers pausing operations over financial issues. The Burton coal mine, 80 kilometres northwest of Moranbah, has been attempting to ramp up production and lower costs, however the flood season and record low prices have put the facility in a tough position. The mine, which first opened in 2022, could 'pause' production within a matter of months if additional cash or equity is not sourced. The owner of the mine, Bowen Coking Coal Ltd, released a statement on Friday to the stock exchange. 'If immediate funding efforts are unsuccessful and/or coal market pricing dynamics do not improve, Bowen may seek to temporarily pause operations at part, or all, of the Burton Mine Complex,'' the ASX statement read. A number of the company's coal mines have been forced to close in recent years including the Bluff mine near Blackwater. Bowen Coking Coal executive chair Nick Jorss told The Courier Mail soaring state royalties and low prices are to blame for the crisis. 'Bowen is the tip of the iceberg of the pain being felt by central Queensland,'' he said. 'We're not the only ones on the edge. Quite a lot of mines in central Queensland are cash negative, meaning a lot of jobs are at risk.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Brisbane households slugged with $50 green waste bin fee – even if they don't want one
Households in a major city are set to be slugged with an extra $50 waste levy as the council announces a major rollout as part of its annual budget to help skirt the state government's 'bin tax'. From August, Brisbane City Council will introduce the Universal Waste Charge, an opt-out green waste program for about 170,000 stand-alone households that will replace the Waste Utility Charge and scrap existing surcharges. Instead, residents will be charged a flat annual universal waste fee of $512.96 – whether they use the new green waste bin or not. This is an increase of about $50 per year, with the rollout expected to take place between August and December. Residents who already paid for a green waste bin will not have to cop the fee. However, those who do not want the bin will still have to pay the extra fee. 'Other households will pay an extra $49.52 a year, with $33 of this increase related to the waste levy introduced by the former Labor state government,' a council statement read. Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the change was part of a 'large-scale tax-avoidance scheme' that would help the council dodge the state government's 'bin tax'. He said the introduction of the green bins would help reduce strain on growing landfills. 'One of the things this does is it helps us avoid the state government's bin tax,' he said per The Brisbane Times. 'Every year there's a tax that increases on waste going to landfill. 'At the moment, for example, our green waste recycling program saves about $1.6m a year in state government taxes. 'We're running a large-scale tax avoidance scheme because I don't want anyone to have to pay the state government's bin tax.' The state government levy was introduced in 2019 and charges the council about $115 per tonne of waste in the landfill. It is expected to increase by $10 every year until 2028. Mr Schrinner argued the recently announced annual fee would help save between $2m and $3m within the first year of the scheme. In the span of five years, Brisbane City Council estimates it will save approximately $32m. 'Every house will get a green bin, and that will be part of the business-as-usual service,' he said per The Brisbane Times. 'The reason we're doing that is because of the state government's bin tax … that effectively forces ever-increasing costs onto councils.'
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
NRL's Pacific plan to pummel AFL in broadcast bonanza
ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys says rugby league's next TV rights deal could span up to 10 years, revealing a Pacific goldmine that will deliver broadcast billions to the NRL. V'landys plans to kick off broadcast negotiations in July after the State of Origin decider and the ARLC chairman says the inclusion of Papua New Guinea will help the code clinch the richest TV rights deal in rugby league history. V'landys will arrive in PNG this Tuesday to ramp-up the NRL's reconnaissance for the 19th team in 2028 and the next step is thrashing out a Pacific-infused broadcast deal that can blow their AFL rivals out of the water. A third network has contacted the ARL Commission to formally express interest. Up to five or six bidders are tipped to enter negotiations as current rights holders Fox and Channel 9 face billion-dollar competition for the most watched code in Australian sport. The NRL's last five-year TV rights deal was worth around $2 billion, including media rights in New Zealand, but V'landys has revealed the sport's next broadcast arrangement may be brokered for a longer term. The NRL's current TV rights deal ends in 2027. The next cycle was tipped to run from 2028-32, but V'landys says he wants to formalise rugby league's new broadcast deal by season's end in a package that could deliver a decade of certainty. That scenario would see the NRL smash their current broadcast haul with a potential fiscal TV rights bonanza of between $3 to $4 billion. 'It could be longer than five years, absolutely,' V'landys said. Asked if the next TV rights deal could be seven to 10 years in duration, he said: 'Yes, it could be. 'We're having some off-the-record talks at the moment, but we plan to start very soon and it will certainly heat up in the next couple of months. 'I definitely want it finalised this year. 'Hopefully that's the case and it's certainly our ambition to do it. 'We want certainty and we know our clubs want certainty. 'Players also want certainty, because if you do a three-or-four year deal or even longer, you know what your revenues are. 'We haven't got to that level of detail yet, but this will be a record deal. 'We have a much more valuable product now, much more valuable.' There are several variables that give V'landys confidence of broking the most lucrative broadcast deal in the code's 117-year history. One factor is the emergence of new media streaming giants, with global tentacles, such as Netflix, Amazon and Paramount. DAZN completed a $3.4 billion purchase of Foxtel in April and V'landys confirmed the world's leading sports entertainment platform will be a major player in upcoming TV rights negotiations. 'Of course they'll be keen,' he said. 'We're the number one sport in Australia. Why wouldn't they be keen? 'I can confirm we've had genuine interest. We are confident there are several parties in the marketplace and I'm confident there will be more to come when we begin talks. 'We will get a lot more dollars now than we have ever gotten because of the hard work done by the players, the clubs and the NRL.' Another significant factor is the expansion drive that will trigger the admission of the Perth Bears to the NRL in 2027 before Papua New Guinea's entry in 2028. V'landys says PNG will not only represent a fresh spectator market, but open a broadcasting gateway that could see the Pacific eventually usurp Australia as the NRL's most lucrative TV rights powerhouse. The NRL is exploring a cut-price Pacific subscription service to monetise the NRL's 19th team and the 10 million-plus Papua New Guinea fans who will back the franchise with unmatched tribalism. 'Papua New Guinea could end up, in 10 or 15 years, to be worth more in broadcast revenue than Australia,' he said. 'With PNG coming in, that is a massive arm that we have never tapped into, not to mention Perth. 'We're the most-watched sport in Australia, so we now should attract substantial offers. 'Our data shows 1.8 million people streamed the Papua New Guinea game against Australia's Prime Ministers XIII, which was an extraordinary number. 'By having a cheap subscription to watch (PNG and NRL games), we could attract millions of new subscribers in the Pacific. 'We're very mindful of pricepoint. We don't want to make it too expensive for rugby league fans to watch and support the game. 'We definitely want to get the most revenue, but at the same time, we don't want to make it unaffordable for our wonderful fans. 'The game has never been in a better place. 'This has been a planned strategy - and it will pay off big time.' Peter Badel Chief Rugby League Writer Peter Badel is a six-time award winning journalist who began as a sports reporter in 1998. A best-selling author, 'Bomber' has covered five Australian cricket tours and has specialised in rugby league for more than two decades. NRL Selwyn Cobbo flew to Sydney for preliminary talks earlier this month in the strongest sign yet that the powerhouse back is on the verge of quitting the Broncos. See which clubs are interested. NRL The might of New Zealand Rugby wants what the NRL has, with Warriors boss Cameron George approached to jump codes to become their next CEO, reveals David Riccio.
