Lessons learned from Offaly lamb selection event

The recent article on the lamb selection event run by the Offaly Lamb Producer Group covered advice and tips from Eblex meat specialist Steve Powdrill on selecting lambs for slaughter. The first article covered on-farm selection, with the final piece of the jigsaw to show the importance of optimum selection in maximising market returns.

Slaughter performance

Two batches of 10 lambs were selected from a group of 60, with Steve carrying out a pre-slaughter selection demonstration on three lambs, with members carrying out the exercise on the remaining seven lambs.

The lambs were slaughtered about three weeks ago when weather was more appropriate to achieving higher lamb performance from a grass-based diet.

While liveweight of lambs varied significantly (for the purpose of the exercise), fat cover was ideal at 3/3L on 18 out of the 20 lambs.

Two lambs killed over-fat with carcase classification of U4. One lamb was an easy fleshing type with a live weight of 44kg and a kill-out of 46%, delivering a 20.4kg carcase. The second U4 lamb was significantly heavier, with a live weight pre-slaughter of 50kg, a kill-out percentage of 47% and a carcase weight of 23.7kg.

The lighter lamb could be forgiven for going over fat as it was a smaller type of lamb. However, it proves that keeping lambs to heavier weights may not be an option for all lambs and the importance of selecting on weight and fat cover combined.

The heavier lamb should also have been drafted earlier, with a cut of €10 to €12 through the group (penalties and loss of bonus payments) for the lamb going over-fat and overweight.

Members attending the event remarked on the level of internal fat present in over-fat lambs. Steve explained losses from retaining the lamb too long were added to by inefficient feed usage, with three to four times more energy used in gaining 1kg of fat over 1kg of lean meat.

The majority of lambs fell into the optimum carcase weight range for the time of year of 20kg to 22kg. One light lamb with a liveweight of 37kg was included for demonstration purposes.

While the lamb had an adequate fat cover of R3L, it delivered a carcase weight of just 17kg.

Retaining the lamb to a heavier weight would deliver two-fold in a more suitable lamb for further processing and more importantly for the producer – an extra €15 to €20 could be gained at current market prices by retaining to 21kg to 22kg carcase weight.

Lessons learned

The overwhelming lesson from the event was the importance of becoming accustomed to handling lambs and selecting on a combination of liveweight and fat cover.

Focusing on the two parameters will, on average, increase the potential margin attainable from finishing lambs, while also ensuring delivery of a consistent, high-quality product to consumers. Other lessons highlighted include:

Group development is central to the cohesion of that group

According to chair of the Offaly Lamb Producer Group Yvonne Johnston, events that encourage group development, while also provide social interaction, help to keep the group more vibrant.

“The feedback we received from members was extremely positive. We can attend talks about selecting lambs, but there is no substitute to getting an opportunity to see the full picture from selecting lambs pre-slaughter to carcases in the factory.

“We are very grateful to ICM for allowing us to visit the factory to complete the event and Midlands Veterinary Supplies and Grennan’s for sponsoring the cost of travel to the factory.”

The development of producer groups is seen as a key outcome from the recent beef round table meetings.

Experience from various sheep producer groups shows that for groups to work optimally, there needs to be input and loyalty from its members, but a key factor in keeping a group together is providing a service that benefits its members.

Yvonne said they are very lucky to have like-minded members who see the value in selling and buying in larger volumes.

She added that the group is also thankful to FBD for a bursary that is available for the group to undertake new initiatives that have distinct advantages for its members.

“We have an insurance deal with FBD for our members.

“As part of the deal FBD make funds available that the group can apply for, which allows us to undertake an educational or a developmental project for any of our members.

“In recent years, we gave a bursary for the purchase of €uro-Star rated rams and this year we decided to use the funds to bring Steve Powdrill over from Eblex to address the group.”

ICM were very happy to welcome the Offaly Lamb Producer Group and Steve Powdrill to their Camolin processing facility.

Commenting on the success of the workshop, John Walsh, ICM’s general manager, stated “events like these contribute greatly to further strengthening the producer-processor relationship, thereby leading to a better understanding of what the market requirements are and developing a more secure future for all stakeholders”.