TASMANIAN farmers say Coles' decision to sell only beef free of hormone growth promotants endorses their lone stand as Australia's HGP-free state.
"The message here is very simple," Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Jan Davis said in a statement today.
"If you want to eat beef that you can be sure is HGP-free, make sure you are eating Tasmanian beef, because then you will know."
Coles announced yesterday that it would sell only HGP-free beef.
The supermarket operator said in a statement the move was to help it provide its customers with the best quality fresh food.
Coles general meat manager Allister Watson said Coles had worked cooperatively with its beef suppliers over the last 18 months to build a dedicated hormone-free supply chain.
Mr Watson said neither customers nor suppliers would be financially disadvantaged by the move to HGP-free meat, which it said was better quality.
He also referred to what Coles said were "widespread consumer concerns about additives in food and livestock and animal welfare practices".
"A range of scientific studies have also confirmed that hormone growth promotants (HGPs) can adversely affect eating quality," Mr Watson said.
But Ms Davis said while the TFGA had supported the move to Tasmanian being HGP-free a decade ago, it had never advocated that beef containing growth promotants was either a health hazard or inferior.
"The arguments for and against hormonal growth promotants are essentially for consumers and retailers," Ms Davis said.
"What we say is that we have removed the question mark. All the beef we produce in Tasmania is HGP-free. It has to be, by law. Tasmania is the only state where it is the law. Therefore, HGP-free status is now part of our brand."
Meanwhile some cattle producers fear they will be handicapped by Coles' decision to source only hormone growth promotant-free beef.
According to reports yesterday, the cattle industry was reportedly seeking urgent talks with Coles, as some producers used hormone growth promotant to increase weight gain and feed performance, and therefore profit.
