Farmers in dilemma

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32874, 24 March 1972, Page 13

Farmers in dilemma

Many farmers are in something of a dilemma because of the increasing incidence of Omega lambs in their drafts, according to remarks made at a meeting of the electoral committee of the Meat Board this week by Mr T. P. Lowe, the Ashburton representative. Mr Lowe said that Omegas were appearing in lambs from properties that had not been getting them even a year or two ago, but he added that from what some people told him there was inconsistency between works in what was and what was not an Omega lamb. It was the big roomy type of ewe, he said, that produced high lambing percentages, but it was this same type of sheep from which these Omega lambs were coming, and were people going to stop using these sheep on this account There had been cases of the percentages of Omegas going up to 60 and 70 per cent, but the sort of sheep from which these lambs were coming were giving a lambing of about 136 per cent on the hill with 90 per cent of lambs going to the works and with the top hoggets in the flock comppetitions in their districts.

In a statement to the committee the chairman of the grades committee, Mr W. J. Polson, said that the

early part of the season with its favourable weather and feed conditions had placed farmers in particular areas in a peculiar position. The increase in the number of lambs graded' Omega this season was a matter of concern—274,4oo in the South Island to the end of January compared with 178,500 for the same period last season. This was 4416 per cent of the total South Island kill compared with SM per cent last season. ’ Because of this the board’s supervising graders had held discussions with works management, drafters and fanners in these areas. “Our prime concern has been to ensure that the standard of grading was consistent between works and the same as in previous seasons.” he said. “The Omega type lamb remains largely a question of type within breed. In carcase form they have shown to have a lesser market value due to their conformation and the board has accordingly taken steps to have a great number of its own lambs in this grade cut and packaged. To date we have processed 23,000 carcases through one padring house alone and we are at present waiting on market reaction to these cuts.” Mr Polson said that the board was faced with two choices — to permit the export of these lambs, in cut or boneless form only or to continue to permit their export in carcase form. It was, therefore, giving a good deal of consideration to the first alternative. A good deal of work remained to be dona in

assessing the merits of this for the reason that costs and savings made in cutting in this country had to be weighed against those overseas. It was often, cheaper to cut these lambs in the United Kingdom. It was cheaper then when they went straight into the trade. However, with the advent of refrigerated container shipping to the United Kingdom greater fabrication of lambs seemed inevitable, he said. The spokesman for C. S. j Stevens and Company, who are controlling and super- I vising the boning and cut- I ting of Meat Board Omega lambs at Harewood, commented this week that looking at the lambs coming into them there was ’ no particular lamb which could be classed as an Omega lamb. The Omega grade appeared to be used as a grade in which to put lambs which did not come up to the exacting standaids of the prime grade or the Y grade, and this, in itself, created problems with the further processing of these lambs because of the many variations between lambs in the same line.