United Kingdom-Meat grading system out of date.

THE EUROPE carcase grading system is years out of date and fails to reflect the true yield of saleable meat, according to a growing number sheep farmers in Northern Ireland.

"A top grade lamb and a carcase with a good yield of saleable meat are not one and the same thing," said John Martin, from Greyabbey, speaking at the AgriSearch Science, Sheep and Success’ seminar, in Ulster.

"The current grading system, introduced 20 years ago is like much that was new in the eighties - no longer fit for purpose. We need a payment system based on retail meat yield from a carcase and the realisation that shape is not fully relevant to carcase value.

"The aim must be to produce meat that leaves our consumers satisfied - the true definition of quality, rather than getting hung up on a grading system past its use by date," he said.

However, farmers were warned that while more attention is being paid by researchers on lamb eating quality, lamb must provide customers with the taste, tenderness and value for money, if it was to continue to compete with other meats.

In farm trials, Dr Marijntje Speijers, AFBI, Hillsborough a native of the Netherlands, compared carcases from lowland lambs finished fast on meal and on grass only. Not surprisingly, those on high levels of concentrate feeding reached the correct fat class 3kg lighter with fat tending to be subcutaneous rather than intramuscular.

"Not only have lowland lambs on short keep systems a higher fat class at a particular weight, but they show improved carcase conformation. With hill lambs, short keep or long keep finishing systems had no impact on meat quality, but possibly due to age, there was a difference in meat colour.

"Good grassland management, especially the control of grass supply in the spring, and the use of clover in the autumn, plus controlling internal parasites, is the key to finishing lambs to produce tender meat at a profit. Our trials suggest the response to meal feeding is tiny where grassland management is good so this is not an attractive option," Dr Speijers added.