MLA sponsors meat study program for UAE students
Technical and Further Education, South Australia (TAFE SA) hosted
its 7th Annual Meat Study Program for 6 students from the Abu Dhabi
Men’s College, in June 2007.
Meat
and Livestock Australia (MLA) sponsored the program in which the
students studied the HALAL and meat safety programs, including Quality
Assurance, and export documentation for meat products that are exported
to the Middle East.
The program focuses on the integrity of HALAL meat from processing
to its final destination. Students learn about audit programs to ensure
compliance with the food programs at both State and National levels.
They also studied the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS)
import food inspection requirements for meat and other food products,
as well as the certification of product from Australia and the animal
health traceback systems.
This has become a very important program for the Australian meat
industry as it showcases the production of HALAL meat, and the quality
assurance programs within the export meat processing industry, as well
as safe food production within Australia.
The students visited the Institute of Veterinary and Medical
Science (IMVS) and became involved in the analysis of food products and
bacterial identification procedures in place in the event of a food
poisoning outbreak.
T&R Pastoral, one of Australia’s largest beef and mutton HALAL
Meat processing plants, was also visited. The students observed HALAL
slaughter, animal welfare procedures, sanitary dressing techniques,
inspection methods, and AQIS monitoring and control methods that ensure
safe food is produced for the domestic and export markets.
Students observed the Animal welfare procedures, from the sale of
the animals at the Dublin Livestock Markets, to the final slaughter.
Such procedures are taken very seriously in Australia to ensure that
the animals are not mistreated.
Students studied the partnership arrangement between AQIS, Islamic
Society, AUS-Meat and the meat producing company to ensure that the
integrity of HALAL meat is not compromised from slaughter to final
export. One student commented that he was happy with the HALAL programs
that operated within Australia as ‘…I have seen it with my own eyes..’.
This level of confidence by the students is seen as a positive outcome
for the program.
At the end of the program, UAE students expressed their gratitude
to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) for sponsoring the program
which was an opportunity for them to visit Australian meat industry
facilities and learn about the rigid procedures adopted to guarantee
that meat products exported to UAE and the Middle East observe the
detailed specifications of the ‘halal’ meat as prescribed by the Sahria
law as well as of world-class quality standards.