Animals
European beef production adheres to the rigorous standards set by the European Union, which require member states to follow regulations regarding cattle breeding and meat production through cross-compliance. This means that every farmer, breeder, and processor operating within the EU must comply with identical standards and legislation. Regarding beef production, key considerations involve safeguarding the environment, managing infectious diseases (including Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy – BSE), and correctly identifying and registering cattle or labelling meat origin.
The European Union has been developing a coherent, safe and ethical livestock farming system for several years. This system is built on the foundation of animal welfare, which ensures that animals have the best possible housing and living conditions. The legal basis for this is Directive 98/58/EC of 1998, which guarantees animals the so-called five freedoms: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain and disease, freedom from fear and stress, and the freedom to express normal behaviour.
What does it mean in practice?
- The European Union strictly prohibits using antibiotics in animal feed and synthetic substances like stimulants and hormones that expedite animal growth. It is also forbidden to insert gradual hormone-releasing implants into animals to increase and accelerate their weight gain.
- Beef producers must follow specific guidelines to ensure proper living standards for the animals. Buildings for cattle must meet specific requirements regarding minimum and optimum air temperature, humidity, adequate air circulation, lighting or pen dimensions. Providing the animals with suitable rearing conditions also involves access to care from qualified staff.
- Member States are obliged to use feed adapted to the developmental stages of the animals and specially composed feed rations according to the needs of the organism, the state of health and the functions of the adult animals.
- In Europe, beef cattle spend most of the year on natural pasture. The feeds undergo continuous veterinary supervision to ensure they are free from prohibited additives and meet microbiological standards.
- The state veterinary inspection service oversees each cattle herd, conducting inspections to ensure adherence to barn hygiene, feeding regulations, and overall animal welfare. Veterinary supervision also covers animal reproduction and general health, including preventing the spread of infectious diseases in cattle.
Systems that guarantee the safety of food production within the European Union countries include:
- Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Hygienic Practice (GHP) – covering food production standards such as location and facility surroundings, buildings and premises and their functional layout, raw materials and materials, machinery and equipment, storage, transport, and staff hygiene;
- Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) – assuring food quality through testing and monitoring its composition;
- Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) – covering activities undertaken at the cattle and pig breeding stage;
- Hazard Critical Control Points (HACCP) – identifying and eliminating hazards when and where they occur;
- International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) – instilling confidence in the comprehensive standardisation of the product.
- Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) – preventing the risk of food safety hazards.
QUALITY STANDARDS
HYGIENE PACKAGE
At the onset of the XXI century, the EU introduced the ‘farm to fork’ approach, aiming to ensure a high standard of safety throughout the production and distribution process of food products sold in the market. Under this approach, a new legislative framework, the ‘hygiene package’, was adopted in 2004.
This package imposes the obligation of maintaining hygiene in food production on the different entities involved in the food supply chain. This is made possible by a self-regulating system based on the HACCP (‘Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point’) method, monitored through official controls. With the hygiene package, strict sanitary and hygienic conditions can be upheld on the premises. Additionally, it allows for close monitoring of each production stage and prompt detection and elimination of any potential hazards throughout the food production process.
SLAUGHTER CONDITIONS
Cattle are slaughtered following strict procedures regulated by national legislation. Stunning before slaughter is mandatory to quickly interrupt brain activity. This reduces the animal’s stress and prevents the perception of pain. Slaughter is carried out in specialised abattoirs by trained staff.
The slaughter procedure encompasses a series of steps guided by humanitarianism, hygiene, and organisation considerations. It fulfils various requirements to guarantee the product’s safety for the consumer in compliance with Regulation (EC) No 853/2004. Immediately after slaughter, staff carry out a preliminary carcass division while a veterinarian performs a veterinary examination of the meat. In this stage, the SEUROP system is used for carcass classification, the collection and initial preservation of edible and inedible slaughter by-products, and waste collection and preservation.
The beef is then subjected to processes designed to enhance its flavour and achieve the desired meat quality parameters. These processes are referred to as meat curing. (SEE MORE IN THE SECTION EU BEEF QUALITIES)
GREEN AND INNOVATIVE ECONOMY
European beef production is also carried out with respect for the natural environment. In 2020, the EU adopted the European Green Deal strategy, which aims to attain climate neutrality in 2050. The Green Deal applies to nearly all sectors of the economy and outlines specific targets and corresponding actions required to accomplish them.
In agriculture, various objectives are established, including the following:
- pesticide and fertiliser use reduction,
- water consumption reduction in technological processes,
- reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a side effect of agricultural production,
- increased organic production.
The Green Deal also includes biodiversity measures such as the diversification of forage crops. Cultivating a greater variety of crop species leads to a more diverse animal feed base, consequently influencing the flavour of the meat.
The assumptions of the Green Deal are currently being implemented. Several years ago, technological solutions were introduced to address the issue of greenhouse gas emissions. These measures included establishing biogas plants, which produce energy and heat from agricultural by-products like biomass and animal waste. These solutions have several advantages: reduced air pollution, energy savings, and lower production costs. All of these measures lead to a consistent improvement in quality – the resulting product, in this case, beef, has increasingly better parameters and is produced with greater regard for the environment.
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