GIQS in der Fleischerzeugung

Cross-border integrated quality assurance in meat production

For the first time universities, farmers, slaughterhouses and meat processing companies as well as national inspection services from Germany and the Netherlands are cooperating with the aim to improve chain wide quality management in meat production. Solutions for improved tracking and tracing, product accompanying information exchange and the support of quality management methods for planning and optimizing of processes are developed. The results will assist farmers, veterinarians and slaughterhouses to better plan, control and assure the quality of their products. Information on pig health will not any more get lost when animals cross the national border.

Source: GIQS

Public and private service providers support the entire production chain in setting up an integrated quality management system at national level that creates transparency for all parties involved and for consumers. In pigmeat production, a large number of piglets, fattening pigs and meat cross the Dutch-German border every day, but no information such as origin and health data is required on the other side of the border for quality assurance.

In order to close this knowledge gap, twelve cooperation partners from Germany and the Netherlands have joined forces to form a research and development project. Since March 2002, GIQS has been developing tools to support inter-company quality and health management.

Proven industry solutions such as risk and vulnerability analysis, document and audit management have also been adapted to the needs of meat production. At the same time, small and medium-sized meat production companies were supported in setting up cross-company quality and health management systems, which they alone are not in a position to achieve either in terms of personnel or finances.

For better integration of public and private inspection systems, a decision model for a risk-based meat inspection is developed, that supports the decision making of official veterinarians. Available information in the GIQS backbone is processed according to their information needs.

An economic model for the calculation of quality systems makes financial differences between quality programs of the two countries (IKB and QS) transparent.

All tools are validated in three meat chains in Germany and the Netherlands. After having passed this testing phase, they will be made available for all who want to introduce or improve a chain oriented health and quality management system.

Chain actors and finally consumers benefit from the tools: healthy animals, improved animal welfare, better productivity and improved food safety. The market position of the meat industry on both sides of the Dutch-German border is strengthened.

Projectpartners

Financiers

GIQS in der Fleischerzeugung is implemented as part of the INTERREG III A programme Deutschland-Nederlands and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministries of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony and the Province of Gelderland. It is supported by the programme management of the Euregio Rhein-Waal.

  • Funding programme: INTERREG III A
  • Budget: 3.3 MM Euro
  • Term: 03/02 - 12/05
  • Partners: GIQS + 11