HAMPSHIRES the Heavyweight Breed

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33067, 7 November 1972, Page 21

HAMPSHIRES the Heavyweight Breed

Place seen for a heavier lamb

(Contributed by the Hampshire Society)

The growing popularity of the Hampshire, particularly in the Canterbury province, is illustrated in the number of entries which the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association receives from breeders each year. This being Royal Show year, it was expected that a record number of entries would be received.

In the line-up of Hampshires the top sheep from fifteen breeders will be penned. For the nine classes catalogued, 131 entries have been received—a rise of 51 on the 1971 show. Breeders are bringing their sheep from as far north as Feilding and from the Gore district in the South.

In the 1972 mating season, many new flocks were established and in districts where they did not exist before, noticeably in the North Island. But the largest increase took place in the Canterbury district, where the breed was originally established. In the 1970 season the total number of ewes and lambs mated was 4142; by 1971 the number had risen to 5442, an increase of 1299. This year the figure was estimated to have reached 7000. The Hampshire sire has gained its place in the New Zealand sheep-breeding scene because of its outstanding performance on an ever-growing number of downland and hill country farms. Its prepotency cannot be eclipsed by any other breed of ram, and lambs by Hampshire rams are among the first to bear the drafter’s mark, and at carcase quality that appeals to butchers, packers and exporters.

The breed committee of the New Zealand Hampshire Society is anxious that the New Zealand Hampshire should be developed to match world standards. Some members exhibiting at the Royal are among the most experienced breeders in New Zealand, and their efforts on behalf of the breed will be typified in the sheep they will have on exhibition. Recently the breed com-

mittee drew up a schedule of standards in pamphlet form, and this has been made available to all breeders. In the United States of America, the Hampshire is one of the two most outstanding breeds of sheep. The reason for this is the fact that Hampshires are able to sire larger and heavier-weight lamb carcases of lean meat, with no excess fat. The key factor with the American consumer is the size of the loin-eye in his lamb chop, Up to the present time in New Zealand, not enough attention has been given to the merits and economics of producing heavier quality lamb car-

casses. In point of fact the heavier carcasse have been down-graded to a lower price range, regardless of what superior meat content might be in that heavyweight carcase. The Hampshire sire has exploded the theory that all heavy-weight lambs must necessarily be ringed with excess fat. Transport costs of iambs from farm gate to works are usually on a per head basis, and labour costs of slaughter and dressing on a per carcase basis at works. In processing works and packing houses, overheads will probably be expressed either on a per lb of meat cut or on a carcase basis. In these circumstances it would be reasonable to assume that the heavier weight carcases would be the most economic to process for the export cut meat trade. Millions of lambs are held in storage throughout

a killing season mainly because of a lack of immediate shipping space. It does seem obvious that less storage space per lb of meat would be entailed with heavier carcases. Another aspect in favour of the heavier lamb is the higher yield of saleable offals. Many New Zealandfarmers are dedicated to producing heavy-weight quality lambs, but their efforts are being thwarted by a schedule payment procedure that recognises only producers of lighter-weight lambs. It is believed the Meat Board is awake to this anomaly. The hope of many farmers is that the board will recognise that properly finished, high yielding heavy-weight lambs can be more valuable per lb than many light-weight lambs, and that meat content in the carcase should be the basis of payment to pro-