Trim the fat out of lamb costs
More needs to be done to reduce the number of sheep failing to meet buyers’ carcass specification, as Paul Spackman discovers.
A large number of sheep are still failing to meet the carcass specification preferred by end users and the problem is worse towards the end of the season.
National slaughter statistics suggest that almost 43% of lambs fall outside the preferred specification for most market outlets of EUR 2/3L, which is costing farmers and the industry dear, EBLEX national selection specialist Steve Powdrill says.
“Abattoirs won’t penalise for a fat class two – ie a lean lamb – but generally penalties will occur for going beyond a 3L,” he says. “The price penalty for producing a 20kg lamb which slips to an R4L can be as much as £3 a lamb, plus there is also the cost of the extra feed used to put on this fat to consider.”
Problems with excess fat on carcasses get noticeably worse as the season progresses, he continues. National figures show the percentage of lambs hitting specification declines over the winter months, from around 70% in June to nearer 47% in March (see table, below).
“Chasing extra weight isn’t always the best option – you’ve got to look at what it will mean in pence/kg terms for the end price. Holding on to lambs for longer runs the risk of getting fatter lambs and doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a better price. It’s better to crop them off as soon as you can, which will also free up more space to finish others on.”
There is only a limited market for lamb carcasses over 21kg, with many heavier/fattier lambs ending up in the catering sector, Mr Powdrill says. “Some catering suppliers pay a reasonable return, but there is a danger some meat will slip into the cheaper end of the market, which isn’t doing the sector any good.”
Fatty carcasses cost the industry more to process and there is likely to be a discounted retail price, he says.
Buyer’s view
Stephen Elliott of family butchers R B Elliott & Son, says about 10% of lambs sent to the abattoir at Stud Farm, Chesterfield, are presented over fat.
This creates complications for the abattoir and has direct implications for the price the farmer receives for his animals.
“We don’t trim fat off ourselves, instead we end up paying less to the farmer. For example for a 3L lamb we’d pay £3.60/kg to the farmer, but for a 3H 4L carcass, the price would have to be reduced by 40-50p.”
The main problem is that there simply isn’t the demand for over fat lambs, Mr Elliott explains. “Of the 100 butchers and wholesalers we supply, only two accept 4H lambs.”
When demand does not meet supply, the extra fat lambs could be sold through the abattoir’s farm shop, but there is a limit to what can be done with these carcasses.
And the added fat represents a massive waste, with Mr Elliott once removing 2kg of extra fat from the kidneys, knobs and round the neck area from a 23kg, 4H lamb.
“Sending fat lambs to abattoir is a waste of time and money, particularly considering they could have been sent a month earlier,” he says.
Fatty perception
There are also the wider implications for the livestock sector to consider, such as the public perception of red meat, Mr Powdrill says. Recent market research by EBLEX suggests that 62% of consumers consider lamb to be tasty, but 66% also regard it as a fatty meat.
“Fat has been on the radar for quite a while due to the health implications, but with the recession and ongoing economic worries, it’s increasingly being looked at from a plate wastage point of view. Consumers see lamb as an expensive item so they want to buy meat without any plate waste.”
Intermuscular fat – between the muscles – is the worst offender for increasing plate waste, as it requires higher temperatures to render down and is difficult to trim out. By contrast, external subcutaneous fat can be trimmed off relatively easily, while a degree of intramuscular fat is required within the meat to give the marbling effect and improve flavour.
