1 euro cent for 1 kg of carcass - what quality of meat is arriving on our tables?
On Tuesday, Kęstutis Mažeika, a Member of the Seimas, shared an invoice from a farmer on his Facebook account. It valued almost 300 kg of carcass at €3 (excluding VAT). This sparked a lot of discussion on social media and called for a closer look at the situation.
Absurd price
K. Mažeika, chairman of the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs, said that he had received the bill from a farmer who assured him that he had sold the animal – cow – healthy. It had no pathologies, but was walking a little harder. As far as is known, the vet's assessment was also good.
„The most surprising thing was the payment method – first they take away the product, evaluate the carcass and only then pay the farmer“, – the Member of Parliament said. The absurd invoice, he said, left the impression that the carcass was not fit and of good quality.
Another case, she said, where such a minimum price appears on the invoice, is an individual agreement between the company and the livestock producer. For example, it is expensive for a farmer to humanely dispose of the animals, so the company does it.
Response from UAB "Krekenavos agrofirma"
Mindaugas Kondrotas, Project Manager of the Livestock Purchasing Department of UAB "Krekenavos agrofirma", stated that according to the invoice submitted, the cattle had been dehorned at the time of slaughter and sent for disposal (as can be seen on the invoice - the mark "BR" next to the conformation and fatness class of the cattle).
„The bovine animal has been scraped and sent for disposal as unfit for human consumption, based on the decision of the doctor of the State Food and Veterinary Service, who ensures the health surveillance of slaughtered bovine animals“, “ replied the specialist.
M. Kondrotas also assured that the farmer should have received, together with the invoice, the act of brooding of the bovine animal in question, issued by the State Food and Veterinary Service. It also states the reason for the unfitness of the cattle for human consumption.
There are many questions about the quality of the meat
„The impression given is that when consumers buy sausage, they cannot be sure that it really contains 1,5–2 year old Limousin bull. It may also contain carcasses unfit for human consumption– – discussed the head of the Seimas CRC, K. Mažeika.
In a first-hand assessment of the situation, Vilma Živatkauskienė, Director of the Lithuanian Association of Meat Cattle Breeders and Improvers, also raised the issue of the quality of meat.
She said that all sorts of situations occur. Sometimes, if the carcass is found to be unsuitable, certain parts are still cut up, selected and sent for heat treatment.
„This is a delicate situation that makes us question the quality of the meat we eat. Unfortunately, this happens“, – pointed out V. Živatkauskienė.
K. Mažeika, Chairman of the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs, is in no doubt that the ridiculous invoice for the carcass does not convince that the meat did not go to the processing plant.
The Chairman of the Committee on Rural Affairs pointed out that this situation raised a number of pertinent questions, which are to be put to the Food Council to assess to what extent producers and consumers are protected from such situations.
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