Meat Scientists Receive Eureka Award
NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA - The Minister for Primary Industries, Steve Whan, has congratulated Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW) for its role in the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) Pathways Team, receiving the 2010 Australian Research Council Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research by an Interdisciplinary Team.The MSA Pathways Team, which is a partnership between science and industry, included Dr Paul Greenwood and Dr Garry Griffith of I&I NSW through their involvement with the Beef Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) in Armidale.
Minister Whan said: "The team received the $10,000 prize for designing the world's first comprehensive paddock-to-plate meat grading system that considers what people really want to eat.
"I&I NSW scientists played an integral role in the program that has ensured that Australia has the only grading system backed by robust consumer-based research and development.
"The MSA program continues to grow and has already contributed A$366 million to the value of the Australian beef industry.
"The programme is a beef, lamb and sheepmeat eating quality programme that grades the meat and recommends the cooking method for consumers.
"Our scientists based at the Beef Industry Centre, which is a core partner in the Beef CRC also at Armidale, have been working to develop the science that underpins the program.
"I&I NSW continue to be a key player in the MSA programme, through the Beef CRC and it is great to see our scientists recognised for their achievements," said Minister Whan.
The team behind the system includes beef industry leaders, scientists from I&I NSW, the University of New England, the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, CSIRO's Livestock Industries, and the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Murdoch University.
TheCattleSite News Desk