Scanner reveals top carcasses

With the dairy explosion, a high percentage of NZ's beef comes from genes in that sector. Historically it has mostly graded manufacturing beef, and was destined for groundbeef, and an end use in the hamburger trade.

AgResearch have developed a scanner that can identify some top cuts suitable for tablecloth eating, from this dairy beef carcass. They are in discussions with a commercial processor to implement this technology into plants.

Also announced from this science provider was their new leader, Dr.Tom Richardson from the Forest Research Institute.

With his speciality in genetics, and his experience also including a term as science manager and chief executive, he seems ready made for this role.

Farmers getting $1 per kg for dairy beef converted to hamburgers could soon be enjoying 20 times that for some cuts of meat thanks to a revolutionary new carcass scanner developed by AgResearch scientists reports The Waikato Times.

Guests attending the Crown Research Institute's annual Fieldays dinner, at the Verandah restaurant in Hamilton, last week were able to taste dairy beef which would previously only have been good enough quality for hamburgers. It has a succulence normally reserved for much more expensive cuts.

The scanner uses a top-secret method to determine the PH levels in a given carcass, sorting the premium carcasses which would otherwise end up in the burger pile from those that were not premium.

AgResearch chairman Sam Robinson, who announced outgoing chief executive Dr Andy West was being replaced by Tom Richardson, the head of Forest Research Institute, described Dr Richardson as a "science innovation sector leader" and said he would bring to his new position the strategic and commercial qualities that had underpinned his success at Forest Research Institute, which trades as Scion.