Judge Of Export Lamb Competition Critical

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30302, 30 November 1963, Page 14

Judge Of Export Lamb Competition Critical

The condition of many of the lambs entered and the handling of many of them before killing were criticised by Mr A. White, supervising grader of the Meat Board, who was the senior judge of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s export lamb competition, held yesterday at the Belfast freezing works of Thomas Borthwick and Sons (A’asia), Ltd. There was considerable variation in the standard of lambs entered, he said. Mainy were too fat. and several pens had to be graded as seconds because they were too lean. “I am not going to congratulate the farmers on their handling of the lambs," he said. Too many pens showed bruised lambs, and although I am quite sure one bruise was caused by a dog, I would hesitate to say what caused the other bruises.” However, he thought the competition might have been a little late and caught farmers at a very busy time of the season, and this could account for the poor standard of handling. To avoid excess fat, farmers should, he felt, get their lambs in earlier, because the standard this year had really disappointed the judges, Mr White said. The dressing and branding of the lambs were quite good, he said.

The pens for London, Mr White said, were a reasonably even lot, but were inclined to be too prime. They were carrying much more fat than the London trade required. The competition was won by a pen of lambs entered by K. H Shirtcliff, who has a mixed sheep and cropping

farm at Tai Tapu of 127 acres, on which he runs 250 Romney ewes which are mated with Southdown rams. Mr Shirtcliff won the local on-the-hooks competition and the section for pens for London

He won the competition three years ago. Second place in both sections went to N. A. Woods, of Greenpark, with a pen of Southdown-Border Romney lambs. The lambs which took both first and second places were drafted by W. L. Dawber. A total of 172 pens (516 lambs) was entered by 88 competitors. In the section for the judging in London, only three pens had to be regrouped with one lamb from the competitors’ second pen. Mr E. Bell, a supervising grader of the Meat Board, and Mr A. G. Stanbury, supervising grader and foreman of Thomas Borthwick and Sons, assisted Mr White in the judging.

Results, with the drafter's name In parenthesis, were:— K. H. Shirtcliff (Tai Tapu). Southdown-Romney, 341 b, 331 b. 341 b (W. L. Dawber), 1; N. A. Woods (Greenpark), South-down-Border Romney, 331 b, 301 b. 331 b (W. L. Dawber), 2; R Shadbolt (Christchurch). South-down-Romney. 321 b, 281 b, 301 b (J. T. McCort). 3: D. J. Weir (Little River). Southdown-Rom-ney, 301 b 321 b. 301 b (B. Mclntosh). 4: D. W Sheat (Dunsandel), Southdown-Corriedale). 331 b. 341 b, 341 b (N. W. Manson). 5: A. Zuppicich (Christchurch). Southdown - Corriedale. 32ib. 291 b, 331 b (J. T. McCort), 6; Worlingham Farms (Rangiora). Southdown - Corriedale. 361 b. 351 b 351 b (I. K. Parkinson), 7. Results of the pens for judging in London were:— K. H. Shirtcliff. 341 b, 331 b, 341 b, 1; N. A. Woods. 331 b, 301 b, 331 b. 2; D. J. Weir. 301 b, 331 b (regrouped from second pen), 301 b. 3; A. Zuppicich. 321 b, 311 b grouped from second pen). 331 b, 4; D. W. Sheat. 33)b, 341 b. 34!b. 5: R. Shadbolt. 321 b. 281 b, 301 b. 6: Worlingham Farms. 351 b, 341 b (regrouped from second pen). 351 b, 7.