WELSH FAIR PUTS
WELSH FAIR PUTS
CASE FOR QUALITY
Next weeks Welsh Winter
Fair will focus attention on
ways of improving efficiency
and incomes for hard-
pressed livestock producers.
Robert Davies reports
CARCASS judge Wyn Jones combines retail butchery with pedigree sheep breeding and occasionally helping out on his parents farm.
Despite spending 14 successful years in the meat trade, 10 of them in partnership with younger brother Glyn, Mr Jones admits he is still a farmer at heart. But there was no way his familys 80ha (200 acre) less favoured area farm at Llanelidan in Denbighshire could have provided a living for either son.
Instead, when he left school he became a butchery apprentice in the market town of Ruthin. Now the brothers run their own immaculate retail shop and adjacent restaurant in the town. But the man who faces one of the toughest judging tasks at the Winter Fair likes nothing better than providing an extra pair of hands at peak times on the home farm, where he also runs a flock of 30 pedigree Beltex ewes.
If he had not been judging both lamb carcasses and Welsh Black Cattle classes at the Fair he would have been showing, with a good chance of adding to the two championships won in previous years. In fact a host of trophies have been won in winter and summer live sheep competitions at the Builth Wells showground and other events.
A Beltex ram he showed successfully at this years Royal Welsh Show was sold privately on the day for £840, and a three-month-old ram lamb realised £787.50 at a breed society sale.
His own sheep provide sires for his parents flock, which supplies most of the lamb sold through the shop. By agreement his father switched to using Bleu du Maine x Welsh Mountain ewes. A Beltex cross lamb out of these combines all the characteristics Wyn Jones wants for his shop.
"They have the excellent flavour typical of the Welsh and Bleu breeds to keep customers happy. The very fine bone of the French breed and the unbeatable conformation of a genetically well muscled sire also provide a good meat yield," says Mr Jones. "The surplus male lambs from the Bleu -Welsh cross are not bad either, but they do not have the depth of eye muscle of the Beltex crosses."
The supply of lambs from the family farm is limited between March and June and Wyn Jones has to buy at market, which can prove very difficult. "I find I have to walk up and down the rows of pens to find the sort of quality lambs we want, and pay well over the average market price to buy them. There is no question that there is a return when a producer invests in good genetics to improve a flock.
"I believe that there has been a change in farmer attitude over the last two years. Even on poor markets quality sells at a premium and this has encouraged more people to buy decent rams. The impact of this on average lamb quality will be seen very soon."
Peak condition
So what does he expect to find at the Winter Fair? The simple answer is variation that reflects both the different breeds and crosses entered and the ability of different producers to select lambs in absolutely peak condition. He is hoping to persuade stewards to break with tradition after judging and hang the top five carcasses in each section side by side for comparison.
"This would allow breeders to see exactly how their lambs compared with those that scored better, and for non-competing breeders to appreciate the features of top quality carcasses."
Though he does not normally sell pure or first cross lambs out of native breeds in his shop, Wyn Jones will judge that section at the Fair. He will look for reasonable conformation but will be even more concerned that they are not too fat.
WELSHWINTERFAIR
When: Tue, Dec 7.
Where: Royal Welsh Agricultural Society showground on the A470 at Builth Wells in Powys.
Opening times: 8am: Judging of cattle, sheep and carcass classes begins; 9am: Trade stands open and horticultural section judging starts; 9.30am: Pig classes, the poultry show and the judging of produce and handicrafts start.
Sale times:
Carcasses from noon; pigs from 1.30pm; sheep after 2pm; cattle from 4pm followed by entries in the YFC calf rearing competition.
Cost: Adults £7, under 16-year-olds £2. Car parking free.