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Shredding hides - an alternative from sending to tannery

26 April 2022
Shredding hides - an alternative from sending to tannery

AMPC has been working with one of its meat processing members, the Australian Meat Group, to come up with an alternative to sending hides to a tannery, especially when hide prices are low.

This project has established a way to extract more value from beef hides by shedding them to a degree that they can go through a meat processing rendering plant. A rendering plant in a processing facility is where parts of a carcase not intended for human consumption are processed into proteins, minerals, and fats.  

AMPC Co-Innovation Manager Jemma Harper said, “The hide itself is ideal to add value to the rendering already taking place. However, it must be shredded in a cost-effective manner first to maximise its value in rendering. 

“This project has installed shredding machines at the Australian Meat Group that are capable of shredding the hides effectively and is now looking to determine the profitability of doing so.

“It is the first time such a process has been adopted by industry and the outcomes have been extremely successful so far providing a great alternative for industry when hide prices decrease due to market access issues.”

“By shredding and rendering the hide, the company has achieved a return on the carcass compared with the cost associated with sending it to landfill.”  

Australian Meat Group Managing Director Gilbert Cabral, said, “We appreciate the support from AMPC to assist with the development of this process.”