PROSPECTS FOR HEAVIER LAMBS

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33803, 27 March 1975, Page 10

PROSPECTS FOR HEAVIER LAMBS

While there is a demand for the lean heavyweight lamb carcase in the United Kingdom, the indications are that the price may not be sufficient to encourage its production.

The Meat Board has been looking into this.

The chairman of its grades committee, Mr W. J. Polson, told the electoral committee of the board last week that prime 8 lambs (16.5 to 19 kilograms) traditionally marketed at a discount in the United Kingdom compared with lambs from the lighter weight ranges. A common theory for the discount was that this grade of lamb carried too much fat.

In an effort to gauge trade reaction to heavy weight lambs selected for minimal fat cover, two container loads of lambs from Hawke’s Bay had been sent to the United Kingdom late last season. In summary this study involving wholesalers, retailers and caterers in the United Kingdom showed that there was a demand for this type of lamb, but the price that the market might be prepared to pay for it was not encouraging. Of the 40 wholesalers in the study one third stated . that they would pay no more for this type of lamb than ■ for the regular run of grade B’s. The premium which the balance of those involved in the study would be prepared to pay was not of the magnitude that would encourage the New Zealand producer to produce heavy weight lambs.

However. Mr Polson said that the limited nature of this trial had to be kej)t in mind. It was believed that there were sectors of the United Kingdom catering trade that were prepared to pav a premium for well muscled, lean, heavyweight lamb. “It is interesting to note that one South Island meat packing company, which has established a trade for this type of lamb in the United Kingdom, is contracting with individual farmers to produce iambs of a given specification and is paying the producer a premium for the right type of lamb. A development of this nature between packing companyi and producer would be wel-i corned by the producer of: the heavyweight lean lamb.”'

Mr Polson said that the

study carried out for the board in the United States market by the Massey Market Research Centre had indicated that while a heavy type of lamb on that market would not increase the aggregate market demand, there was no reason to suggest why a heavier lamb, such as the grade 8, should not command the same price as a grade 2 (13 to 16 kilograms), with the farmer being naid the equivalent schedule.

The problem here, however. was one of procurement. It had to be recognised that not all works could save lambs for DEVCO and those that did save lambs for this market were limited by the cutting, ageing and conditioning

facilities as to the number that could be saved in any particular day. The report of the Meat Export Grades Investigation Committee, while recommending that the Omega grade should be retained, had also recommended that work be started to determine the extent to which the various cuts from Omega lambs could be packed and marketed with cuts of the prime and Y grades.

To this end Mr Polson said that the board had contracted with Lincoln College to carry out such a study. This work was under the direction of Mr A. M, Nicol, who was well versed with the problem being a member of the Meat Export Grades Investigation Committee.

The results of the Lincoln work would be available in July, in time for any amendments to the code of practice governing

the mixing of lamb cuts to be made before the start of the 1975-76 season. However, it had to be stressed that even if this studj' resulted in all Omega cuts being absorbed into the prime or Y grade, the Omega carcase would still be subject to some schedule discount when compared to a prime carcase. This was because lamb cuts generally did not return as much as the carcase equivalent due to the high labour cost involved in cutting lambs in New Zealand.

“It has been suggested in some quarters that Omega lambs should be absorbed back into the prime carcase grade,” said Mr Polson. "While the great majority of our lamb is still sold in carcase form, may I make it clear that I would have no part in a move that would down-grade the quality of our existing prime grade and consequently reduce its return to the farmer,” he said.