An agreement was signed between the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights and the Centre for Carcass Classification at the University of Ghent. Through this agreement, the Carcass Classification Centre at the University of Ghent will be supporting the Public Abattoir to improve the way carcasses are classified in Malta according to the best European practices.
Minister Anton Refalo said that these agreements are part of the ministry’s electoral programme implementation to increase the efficiency at the Public Abattoir with the aim of improving the profitability of local breeders, while identifying and exploiting opportunities in the sectors of agriculture and fisheries that go beyond the product itself and that can make these industries more attractive and financially viable.
Through this agreement, this leading Belgian research centre will be providing training to staff at the Public Abattoir on beef and pork grading, as well as assisting the Public Abattoir to have, for the first time, an automatic classification system for pork in line with EU regulations. In addition, it will also be giving advice on the establishment, monitoring, and renewal of review and verification processes of classification and related processes at the Public Abattoir and other entities within the ministry.
The Centre for Carcass Classification at the University of Ghent is a leading institution in Belgium for livestock classification. In addition to carrying out research on this subject, it collaborates closely and provides technical and scientific support to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Flemish Government, the Interprofessional Association for Belgian Meat (IVB) and private entities.
Photo: MAFA
