Warning Given On Over-Fat Lambs

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30951, 6 January 1966, Page 1

Warning Given On Over-Fat Lambs

Undoubtedly the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Ltd., would get a higher number of reject lamhs because of over-fatness this season, unless Canterbury farmers drafted more I regularly, said the manager of the company (Mr j W. M. Cleland) yesterday. “Nobody wants ‘fats’ these days,” he said.

Far more lamb for export was being “graded out” in Canterbury this year because of over-fatness than last year. Lambs that had come into the works so far this season, he said, were more than 21b a earcase heavier than at the same lime last year. Mr Cleland said that, unless farmers did something about it, there would be two basic reasons for the higher proportion of rejects because of over-fatness. One was the reasonably prolific feed conditions and the other climatic conditions that encouraged them. The oiher basic reason was that the Meat Board had “toughened up” on its grading of over-fais Regular Drafting

Mr Cleland said that he did not want to cause a panic among Canterbury farmers on the question of over-fat lambs and subsequent rejection. Rather, he wanted to draw to their attention the dangers of not drafting regularly

enough or of poor drafting. “Frankly, it is a good thing that grading is being toughened.” he said. “No-one wants meat with about an inch of fat around it. Certainly no-one wants it overseas.

“The English meat market is becoming more and more meat conscious than in the past. In outside markets, if you mention the word ‘fat’ they will show you the door.” The answer to the overfatness problem, said Mr Cleland, was largely in the farmers’ own hands.