Meat processors, through Meat Technology Ireland (MTI), are exploring how they might incentivise farmers to slaughter cattle earlier in a project which is fat scanning beef animals for six months.

MTI has moved to scan the fat in 500 head of cattle in finishing systems over recent months, with a target of having 7,000 cattle analysed in the next three years.

The fat in each animal is scanned with a special ulstrasound machine at intervals over the six month finishing period to monitor changes. Tested cattle are also weighed throughout the experiment with their meat quality later evaluated.

The basis of the study is to see if cattle fat and weight carcase specifications could still be hit if animals are finished earlier, without incurring the additional feed costs and the methane associated with delayed slaughter.