Beef Needs Of British Consumer

Northern Advocate, 23 January 1939, Page 4

Beef Needs Of British Consumer

According to Mr. T. Dunlop Young. D.V.S.M., M.R.C.V.S., of Smithfield (England) Market, “the Argentine breeder is second to none, in his keen observation and adaptation of the right type of animal to produce what Smithfield requires.” Mr. Young outlined for comparative purposes, the ideal carcass desired on Smithfield market as follows: (a) The animal should be young, not older than 3 years. (b) Quickly maturing. (c) Small in bone.

(d) Fat equally distributed throughout the body, especially inter-muscu-larly; no patches anywhere. (e) The forequarters, which are cheapest in price, should be light in comparison with the hindquarters, from which the dearest and most valuable cuts are obtained, namely, the rumps arid the loins. (f) The weight should be about 690 to 700 lbs.

“It is often stated, as a great -feature of a carcass, that the animal killed out a very high proportion of dead weight to live,’up to 68 per cent. It does not follow that this means that the carcass is a profitable one for the butcher, because the proportion of heavy bone and useless fat in the carcass may reduce its saleable value far below the value oi a carcass which killed less percentge dead weight to live weight,” continued Mr. Young. Scotch Type Preferred.

“I am well aware that while it is easy to advise a model type of animal which should be produced, it is not always possible to do so, because climate, ground feed, the presence of parasites, such as ticks, droughts and so on, have to be taken into consideration, and therefore, in certain districts it has been considered necessary to utilise types of cattle .which will withstand such conditions.

“It has been proved in North America, in Canada, in Australia and lin New Zealand that the best type of beef animal has, as. the Argentine breeder has shown, been obtained from the best British blood stock,” declared Mr. Young. “From my observations in the various countries I have visited, I still hold to the opinion that for producing the very best type of beef, namely, Scotch, which brings the highest prices in the Smithfield market, there is nothing superior to the Aberdeen Angus. I have to admit, however, that in Argentina and in North America, the small, select type of hornless Hereford produces an excellent carcass, and where it is found that, for local conditions, the Hereford is preferable, then this type may be utilised,” concluded Mr. Young.