Stubble turnips give consistent eating quality

Stubble turnips deliver some of the best eating quality when it comes to lamb as well as one of the most cost-effective diets.

Traditionally, supermarkets have shown some resistance to buying British lamb after Christmas due to the range of breeds, ages and diets lambs have been fed on.

However, a recent study comparing meat quality from lambs fed different diets and slaughtered either in November and March and compared to New Zealand lamb found that stubble turnips produced some of the best eating quality meat throughout the winter.

ADAS sheep consultant Kate Phillips, who conducted the study along with a taste panel at Bristol University, found that although Texel x Mule lambs fed 230g of concentrates a day grew a lot quicker, the taste panel at Bristol found that the concentrates diet produced more abnormal flavours compared to the UK average of the other diets fed. “Lambs slaughtered in March and fed high amounts of concentrates reduced the eating quality of the lamb,” said Mrs Phillips, speaking at the Sheep Breeders Round Table last week.

“Grass fed diets also had higher than average abnormal flavours in the loin samples, but when combined with the pH and texture of the meat, grass fed lambs slaughtered in November came out as one of the most favourable,” explained Mrs Phillips.

However, when comparing all the diets, it was a diet of stubble turnips that delivered the highest eating quality lamb throughout the winter. “Stubble turnips produced a consistent eating quality and compared favourable with New Zealand lamb. And at a cost of 50p/kg of liveweight gain to feed compared to 120p/kg LWG for a concentrate diet it is also cost-effective,” she said.