photo courtesy of www.jennifermackenzie.co.uk

MLC classification reports compiled from a representative sample of lambs slaughtered in English abattoirs in 2005 reveal 56% of all carcases and fully 58% of new season lambs classifying ‘R3L or better’ to deliver the market’s preferred combination of conformation and leanness.

Over 80% of both English new and old season lambs classified ‘R or better’ for conformation in the year, the main difference between the quality of the two groups being the level of finish achieved.  While 72% of new season lambs classified ‘3L or better’ for fatness, only around 68% of old season lambs finished in the target fat classes, almost certainly as a result of being retained too long.

On a national scale, the 56% of English lambs meeting the target market specification remains noticeably higher than the 53% for Great Britain as a whole. Also, across GB a particularly disappointing 47% of old season lambs classified ‘R3L or better’ as against 53% in England.

At the average 20.1 kg recorded in the MLC Classification Survey, the carcases of lambs slaughtered in English abattoirs also continued to be heavier than the average of 18.9 kg recorded across Great Britain, the weight increasing slightly over the year.

English Lamb Carcase Performance 2005 (MLC)

* Both leaner and better conformation 

With the typical price difference between an R2 and R4H carcase amounting to over £7.00 for the average 20.1 kg lamb carcase in 2005, many English producers continue to have plenty of scope to improve market returns.  A 15% increase in the number of lambs classified R2 from R4H, for instance, is estimated to increase the total annual value of the English lamb crop by around £1.6 million.

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