Sheep Progeny Testing An “Urgent Necessity”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29620, 16 September 1961, Page 6

Sheep Progeny Testing An “Urgent Necessity”

Progeny testing of sheep in New Zealand was an urgent necessity, Mr H. R. Ritchie, of Essex, a British Nuffield scholar who visited New Zealand last year, states in his report. New Zealand's lamb position was similar to that of Denmark with bacon. Both counties had to export agricultural produce or die. Commercial qualities could not be assessed visually in

the live animal, he says, quoting as examples the fat lamb competitions he saw where there was little correlation between the placeget* -Ts on the hoof and those on the hoof. The animal had to be slaughtered, weighed, measured and cut up and the results related to the requirements of wholesaler, retailer and consumer.

“When I suggested progeny testing of sheep in New Zealand. I was informed that it would be of no use ‘because the stud breeders would be against it in principle and would not co-operate’," Mr Ritchie says. ■This might be so at the beginning, but I am certain that there are many progressive breeders who would be only too willing to co-oper-ate and 1 am confident that the winners of a properly Conducted progeny test would

not be able to fill the flood of orders for rams that would follow. “Eventually, no breeder would be able to afford not to co-operate,” he says. Private stud breeders had not the financial or technical resources for progeny testing which could possibly be operated by the Meat Board. Pure Breeds Suggesting that testing be initially confined to pure breeds of sheep. Mr Ritchie said that six ewes in lamb to a nominated ram could be carried on a set area at a testing station which would determine the lambs providing the greatest weight of meat an acre, the pen with the quickest growth rate, best carcase quality and the ewes with the most valuable wool clip.

From these results would be determined the pen returning the most profit an acre and, if surplus growth from the test plots could be saved, total production could be estimated which would take into account breeds which required less feed. The carcase entered in a fat lamb competition should be split in two so that the depth of fat over the shoulder and the back can be measured and one side should be cut across to determine accurately

the “eye of lean.” Length of the side should be measured from the first rib to the pin bone and minimum lengths would be related to weights. Standards could be set by a national committee of investigation. Depth of shoulder and loin fat would vary with different weights and there would' be maximum figures above which the entries would be eliminated.

As with the pig carcase appraisal there would be a points system which would have regard to the respective weights of shoulders and hindquarters. Mr Ritchie said he had been surprised there had been no ideal length measurement laid down for a 321 b lamb carcase or a minimum length for first quality lamb “The longer a lamb carcase the better it is, other things being equal,” he says. “Are there not more loin chops in a long carcase?” Lean Meat The area and amount of lean meat in the loin was of the utmost importance and should be measured. Loins and hindquarters provided the best quality meat and the heavier the cuts that could be made from these regions the better. Mr Ritchie also suggested experimentation with ultrasonic devices tor measuring fat thicknesses. Machines for thia purpose were in an advanced stage of development in the United-Kingdom and A