Beef and lamb farmers have been invited to a series of Meat the Market workshops, organised by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) to discuss beef and lamb production.
The workshops will aim to provide beef and lamb producers with practical guidance on target specifications for finished animals. Processing plant tours will allow farmers to visually assess cattle before slaughter and compare their grading with the resulting carcase.
Attendees will also receive guidance on grading home-finished cattle to help determine when animals are ready for sale and maximise returns.
Farmer Lawrence Martin shared his experience of attending a Meat the Market workshop: “Seeing carcases on the line after grading the animals in lairage was insightful. We now hand-grade lambs before weighing those considered fit, which has changed the order in which we work and saved us time. I will certainly attend more of these events.”
“To maximise returns, it is important to present clean animals that meet end-user specifications for conformation and fat cover.”
Bruce McConachie, QMS
Speakers George Allan, divisional manager with Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Ltd (MLCSL) and industry specialist Adrian Crowe will explain market specifications, customer requirements, animal presentation and how to minimise the risk of carcase downgrades.
Bruce McConachie, head of industry development at QMS, commented: “To maximise returns, it is important to present clean animals that meet end-user specifications for conformation and fat cover. The workshop will provide valuable insight into this process, along with processor feedback on livestock health factors that may affect carcase quality or lead to condemnations.”
The workshops will take place on Tuesday 20th October at Woodheads, Myton Food Group, Turriff. The first session, focused on lamb, begins at 9:00am, while the cattle session starts at 1:00pm. Each workshop will last around three hours.
Register for the lamb workshop and the beef workshop. Booking is essential as places are limited.
