Marks & Spencer has plans to feed back information on meat eating quality to its beef farmer suppliers in a bid to improve future on-farm breeding programmes.
The premium retailer’s head of agriculture, Steve McLean, said every beef animal slaughtered for the company is DNA tested offering full traceability from animal to supermarket shelf.
“We are using DNA testing to trace every beef product back to the individual animal,” he said.
“Marks & Spencer is the only retailer that uses DNA in that way. It gives traceability from the product right back to the animal.”
Mr McLean said DNA technology could also bring benefits to farmers.
He said Marks & Spencer was working with the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society on a project to feed information back to farmers to help inform breeding programmes.
“We are likely to feed back information on succulence, tenderness and marbling,” he said.
“It should go further than that, though.
“If you link that with calving ease, for example, you can produce a holistic breeding programme,” he said.
Marks & Spencer’s beef supplier in Scotland is Scotbeef, which has abattoirs in Inverurie and Bridge of Allan.
