Aussies battle beef counterfeiters

Australian beef exporters are battling against a growing counterfeit beef market in China. Radio station 3AW 693 in Melbourne reports that a leading Australian wagyu beef farmer, David Blackmore, told talk show hosts Ross and John the meat being passed off as Australian beef “could be anything from buffalo out of India to meat from anywhere else.” Blackmore said that beef exported from Australia is sealed in a Cryovac bag with a stamp on it which identifies the abattoir where it was processed. Blackmore Wagyu also puts an insert inside the bag before it’s sealed, which is printed on special plastic and uses an easily identifiable dye. He went on to say that they have learned of counterfeiters copying the Cryovac bag and the insert, then putting someone else’s beef inside the bag. Blackmore learned of the deceptive practice when a chef at a five-star hotel in China called him complaining about the quality of the meat. He said that fighting counterfeit produce is relatively easy for his operation because it’s such a small producer, processing 60 to 70 carcasses a month. In an attempt to stop the practice with his product, Blackmore has appointed a new distributor in China. — WLJ