Efforts to Promote Quality and Safety in Beef Abound

CSU’s CERES collaborators include the University of California at Davis, Texas A&M University, Kansas State University, Iowa State University, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The consortium partners are currently funding CERES internally, but its efforts are expected to be supported ultimately by the 2018 Farm Bill, which included funding to bolster the National Biodefense Strategy, Dr. Belk says.

Under the leadership of Alan Rudolph, PhD, CSU’s vice president for research, CERES is aligned around three thematic pillars, Dr. Belk says. “Diagnostics and surveillance will focus on rapid detection of high-consequence threats,” he adds. “The countermeasures and manufacturing component supports agile countermeasures and production of treatments and vaccines to thwart regional and national outbreaks. This pillar will also strive to prevent such outbreaks. Outreach and engagement entail work with urban and rural communities and stakeholders to affect the adoption of better biosecurity practices and innovation.”

Beef is, perhaps, the least prepared of any of the food animal species to deal with intentional or accidental infection by contagious livestock or human diseases and pathogens, says Dr. Belk. “This is partly because the beef supply chain is segmented, and cattle grow outdoors on range and in feedlot environments,” he adds.

Additionally, he says that the CERES projects will engage private companies. “Including a variety of stakeholders is intended to take competition out of finding solutions for shared food industry and societal problems,” he says. “We are committed to working together in a multidisciplinary way to develop sustainable livestock systems.”

To that end, CERES has just recently launched a program called the Sustainable Livestock Systems Collaborative to further engage with the livestock industry, Dr. Belk says. “Hiring a director and multidisciplinary faculty is in the works to address modern problems faced by livestock producers,” he says. “We are committed to targeting producers’ needs across the spectrum of societal needs.”

The Supply Chain During the Pandemic

Meanwhile, Dr. Belk believes the major issue currently affecting the U.S. beef industry is the supply chain problem caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty packing plants handle 90 percent of the fed beef processing volume in the U.S., he says, adding that, when plants are shut down or not processing at their capacity, market-ready cattle are held back, which leads to heavier carcass weights. During the COVID-19 crisis, beef carcass weights have, at times, exceeded their typical average by 40 pounds or more as a consequence of reduced packing capacity, he says, adding that “heavier carcasses mean more waste, so carcasses also are sold at reduced prices due to yield considerations.”

Dr. Belk says that he especially fears the ramifications of the supply chain disruption at the cow/calf level. “If the bottom falls out for feeder cattle demand, producers will be looking for ways to cut calf pre-conditioning costs, including feed, vaccinations, and parasite control,” he says. “In the long term, this could result in meat quality issues.”

Diminished large abattoir capacity associated with the pandemic has resulted in many small processing plants in Colorado and other states increasing production, Dr. Belk says. “We are seeing a huge demand for small FSIS-inspected plants,” he adds. “A number of small plants in Colorado and Kansas are booked through 2021.”