Another Viewpoint

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31161, 10 September 1966, Page 10

Another Viewpoint

ATUCH is heard these days of the virtues of the Charolais and its crosses and the Friesian at the expense of the traditional beef breeds. But here is the view of a man whose firm handies about 1000 beef cattle a week for slaughter. He strongly favours the traditional beef breeds for trade requirements, and In particular the Aberdeen Angus, and does not think that the Charolais is conferring any advantage at all from a meat quality point of view.

He is Mr T. Lauchlan, area controller of F.M.C. (Meat) Ltd., Glasgow. .“We are being led to believe from many quarters that the demand is now for lean, tender meat and that flavour and taste is only an incidental factor,” says Mr Lauchlan. “I personally cannot subscribe to those views. Rather would I say that the demand is certainly for lean meat, but taken from quality animals. . .

“During the last year it has become more apparent that the Continental countries are looking to this country to provide them with top quality meat to supply the demands of not only the population of their own countries, but also the requirements of the huge tourist trade ... It is a fact that all of those countries have asked for and re-

ceive Aberdeen Angus beef from well-finished cattle, which had to be forwarded to them untrimmed.

“We all know that in this country we have some exceptionally good breeds of beef cattle from which to draw these quality supplies, but above them all, surely stands the Aberdeen Angus and their crosses.

“The breed’s greatest attribute in my opinion, is that you obtain the maximum amount of flesh to bone which is desired by the butcher. As butchers are fleshers, it is flesh they want to sell. . . .

“Certain people in Government and pedigree cattle circles have thought fit to import into this country the French Charolais in order to improve the fleshing qualities of the progeny of our dairy cows. From my observations in general we have not yet succeeded .in doing this. If crossed with our beef-type animals they will do exactly the opposite from what we in in the trade desire, i.e. producing cattle with far greater bone waste and therefore less flesh which means they are not so profitable to the butcher. “Another very important point is that the texture of the Charolais flesh is coarse and will therefore never eat so well as from our own traditional beef cattle and their crosses.”