Testing the meat yield lamb grade difference

While the exercise is not a research trial, it highlights a number of interesting differences between the two carcases with a significant difference found between the meat yield and value of the two lamb carcases. The E grade carcase yielded 1.12kg more saleable meat and returned a higher carcase value to the tune of €13.52.

Testing procedure

To carry out the analysis, the Beltex Sheep Society received two carcases from Kepak Athleague. The two carcases were the same carcaseweight of 19.4kg and a similar fat score. One carcase was an E grade Beltex lamb while the second carcase was an R grade carcase from a crossbred lowland lamb.

The two carcases were brought to Tavanagh Meats, Brideswell, Athlone, Co Roscommon. There, they were butchered by Sean Farrell, butcher at the premises. The Beltex Sheep Society explained that the carcases were butchered in exactly the same way into the normal meat cuts, as shown in the Table. Meat from the neck, flap, shoulder, etc, was processed into lamb burgers. The cuts were all weighed individually and are shown in the table.

As can be seen, the 1.12kg extra meat yield from the Beltex carcase was spread across all meat cuts.

The cuts were valued by Sean Farrell using the pricing system operated by Claire Finneran at Tavanagh Meats. This is also shown in the table. The E grade lamb returned a total retail value of €181.07 while the R grade lamb returned a retail value of €167.55, or a difference of €13.52 between the two lambs.

Market returns

The Beltex society carried out the exercise to emphasise the increased meat yield from higher conformed Beltex-bred lambs. They said that the fact an E grade carcase yielded 12% more meat should encourage more butchers and supermarkets to source E grade lambs. It is also a strong leverage tool to look for a significant bonus to be paid on E grading lambs.

||PIC2||

The society said that a lack of a significant bonus payment to farmers with E grade lambs is undervaluing the product they are producing. They say that at current prices of €4.80/kg, a farmer would receive €93.12 for the two carcases. But, with bonuses paid for E grade lambs varying between plants there can be no differential offered for their lambs, or as little as a 6c/kg bonus paid, returning €1.16 extra per lamb.