The Meat Industry International Stewardship Advisory Council (MIISAC) aims to discover what steps can be taken to stop the introduction of new production and processing technologies from interrupting trade.
Forrest Roberts, chief executive officer of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the recently elected chairman of MIISAC, said: “The US meat industry is a global leader when it comes to advancements in quality, safety, efficiency and productivity, which is why our products are in such great demand around the world.
“Our goal as an industry is to adopt new technologies in a manner that is consistent with continuing to grow exports. To meet this objective, it is imperative that we continue to work together as an industry in a proactive manner.”
The US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) said the primary focus of MIISAC was to foster better communication, coordination, and collaboration at all levels of red meat production, processing and marketing, so that new technologies were introduced in a manner that minimised disruption in exports without stifling the development of next-generation technologies.
The group’s membership includes representatives from the Cattleman’s Beef Board, National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, American Lamb Board, the feedgrains sector, meat packing and export trading companies, technology providers, the American Meat Institute, the North American Meat Association and USMEF.
As new technologies are introduced, MIISAC asks a number of questions to assess the potential benefits and costs of their adoption. These include: ‘Do regulatory approvals need to be secured in key international markets?’, ‘How long will this process take?’, and ‘Will approval be controversial, and how will this impact consumer confidence?’. The organisation also looks at whether international standards can be established, which trading partners might adopt such a standard, and how foreign markets with no functioning regulatory process will be addressed.
Roberts added that it will not set policy or approve or disapprove new technologies: “The goal is definitely not to serve as a standard-setting or policy-making body, but rather to provide a broad, forward-thinking perspective on how a new technology will impact our industry once it is approved.”