Australian Supermarket Looks To Hormone-Free Beef
AUSTRALIA - The cattle industry is seeking urgent talks with the Coles supermarket chain about its position on the sale of hormonally treated beef.
3 September 2010
1 minute read
The industry is abuzz with rumours that the supermarket is already buying cattle that haven't been treated with hormonal growth promotants (or HGPs) and will agressively market that beef to its customers, reports ABC News .
HGPs are widely used by beef producers to boost weight gains in cattle under approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
David Inall, from the Cattle Council of Australia, says while they respect Coles right to make commercial decisions about marketing, they are keen to be part of any discussions on HGPs.
"We've heard unofficially that Coles may be selecting some of their cattle on the basis that they haven't been treated with growth promotants," he says.
"At this stage we don't have any further information, so we're looking forward to hearing details when they come to hand as to what Coles is planning, if anything.
"We know that these products have been approved for use by the most rigorous of science-based assessment, and have been tested within an inch of their life, and they pass every test."
Coles isn't commenting on its marketing plans for hormanally treated beef, other than to say it's considering "a range of options to improve the quality of the meat" offered to its customers.
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