With many regions across the country facing ongoing drought conditions, livestock producers purchasing fodder and grain are being urged to seek a Commodity Vendor Declaration (CVD).
A CVD is a key document within the red meat integrity system that guarantees introduced feed is safe from chemical contamination. It is a key component under the, 'Fodder crop, grain and pasture treatments and stock foods' element of the Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program, managed by Integrity Systems Company (ISC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).
ISC Chief Executive Officer Dr Jane Weatherley said the CVD is an important tool in safeguarding livestock feed supply and meeting requirements for product integrity, contributing to the overall quality assurance of Australia's red meat industry.
"With producers increasingly buying in feed amid tough seasonal conditions, it's important to maintain Australia's commitment to producing safe and high quality red meat products that meet global market expectations," Dr Weatherley said.
"Record keeping is critical to enable the traceability of stock feeds provided to animals, protecting the integrity of Australian red meat and ensuring market access.
"Any producer obtaining fodder or grain from a third party should ensure the supplier completes a CVD, so they know exactly what is being fed to their livestock and can guarantee their livestock are residue free."
The single-page form contains accurate details of the commodity's composition, identifying chemical treatments applied to the commodity before or during harvest or in storage.
Where livestock have been fed feedstuffs that have been treated with chemicals, additional records should be kept including details of relevant Withholding Periods and Export Slaughter Intervals.
The CVD provides information on the feedstuff's origin, either from a single source or via multi-vendor storage, such as when it has passed through a grain depot, cotton gin or seed storage site. The declaration also ensures the feedstuff does not include restricted animal material (RAM) such as meat and bone meal, which is illegal to feed to ruminants.
Dr Weatherley said LPA accredited producers are being urged to source stockfeed only from suppliers who are willing to vouch for its content by providing an accompanying CVD. Furthermore, completed CVDs should be filed alongside other farm records.
The CVD can be downloaded as a single PDF from the MLA website here. To assist both feed suppliers and red meat producers, a page of explanatory notes is provided with the blank CVD.
A fact sheet and learning course around LPA element three, 'Stock feed, fodder crops, grain and pasture treatments' can be accessed here.
