152. i s t o ensure t h a t lamb i n t h e d i e t permanently s a b s t i t u t e s f o r man! Thus I t o o am a zealous missionary.

Transcription

1 152. THE F U T U R E OF THE L A M B I N D U S T R Y : R. A. T H E WORLD O U T L O O K BARTON M A S S E Y U N I V E R S I T Y,N E W Z E A L A N D My assignment today i s an i n t e r e s t i n g one. I am n e i t h e r a prophet nor an economist b u t I have g r e a t admira-lion of t h e a b i l i t y of mankind t o eat ever g r e a t e r q u a n t i t i e s of meat. Carnivorous man wants v a r i e t y i n h i s d i e t and he does t h i s by widening t h e range of species from which he consumes f l e s h. Now t h a t humans are no longer cannibals t h e y have replaced t h e f l e s h of man with, we hope, t h e meat of lamb. Missionaries have played an important p a r t i n man's s u r v i v a l and my present t a s k i s t o ensure t h a t lamb i n t h e d i e t permanently s a b s t i t u t e s f o r man! Thus I t o o am a zealous missionary. T h i s paper w i l l touch on matters properly i n t h e a r e a of t h e economist and marketing s p e c i a l i s t but it w i l l also review c e r t a i n work, having as i t s a i m, t h e improvement and a c c e p t a b i l i t y of lamb. Before proceeding f u r t h e r, it i s necessary t o d e f i n e t h e product under discussion. It i s lamb meat. Lamb i s t h e meat derived from a sheep of any sex and slaughtered before t h e age of 1 2 months. I t s type of r e a r ing, t h a t is, whether milk fed, crop f a t t e n e d or d r y - l o t f i n i s h e d does not influence t h e f a c t t h a t it i s lamb provided it f a l l s within t h e age l i m i t given h e r e. O s s i f i c a t i o n of bone or o t h e r d e t a i l s of maturity a r e also of l i t t l e consequence i n t h i s context. The World T r a d e P i c t u r e Under t h e terms of reference of t h e Twelfth and T h i r t e e n t h Sessions of t h e F A 0 Conference i n Rome, a study w a s undertaken by t h e Commodities Division of FAO. T h i s work w a s t o be a c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e F A 0 I n d i c a t i v e World Plan f o r Agricultural Development and w a s t o give p r o j e c t i o n s for a g r i c u l t u r a l commodities f o r 1975 and The r e s u l t s of t h e s e global. p r o j e c t i o n s were published i n 1967 ( F A ) and t h e y provide t h e b a s i s f o r our d i s c u s s i o n on t h e f u t u r e for lamb. Unfortunately, t h e F A 0 s p e c i a l i s t s d i d not d i f f e r e n t i a t e between mutton and lamb; consequently it i s necessary t o bear t h i s i n mind when interpreting t h e i r findings. The base period for t h e i r s t u d i e s w a s t h e average of t h e t h r e e years, The p e r caput consumption of mutton and lamb at t h a t time ranged from a low of 0.3 kg i n t h e Federal. Republic of Germany t o a high of 43.6 kg i n A u s t r a l i a. The United S t a t e s consumption w a s o n l y 2. 2 kg but t h e r e were 1 6 o t h e r c o u n t r i e s out of a t o t a l of 29 l i s t e d whose consunption w a s less t h a n 3.0 kg per caput. There were only six c o u n t r i e s whose consumption of mutton and lamb exceeded 10.0 kg per caput. These were A u s t r a l i a, 43.6 kg; New Zealand, 43.3 kg; Uruguay, 20.4 kg; United Kingdom, 11.8 kg, and I r e l a n d, ll.l kg. Five of t h e s e six c o u n t r i e s were net e x p o r t e r s of mutton and lamb and t h e s i x t h country (United K i n g d o m ), required t o import thousand t o n s t o augment domestic production i n order t o achieve t h e quoted per caput consumption of mutton and l a b. Even

2 in some of those countries of low consumption such as the United States and Canada it was necessary to import mutton and lamb to meet the needs of consumers Only four countries in the base period were net exporters of more than 20,000 tons of mutton and lamb. These were: New Zedand, thousand tons; Australia, 125 thousand tons; Argentina, 40.1 thousand tons and Ireland 22.0 thousand tons. Four countries in the base period had a net import of 20,000 tons or more of mutton and lamb. These were: United Kingdom, thousand tons; United States, 57.4 thousand tons; Japan, 31.6 thousand tons, and U.S.S.R., 26.0 thousand tons. From these statistics of world consumption and trade, it is obvious that sheep meats are important to only a very few countries. Of these New Zealand and Australia are the largest exporters and the United Kingdom is the predominant importer followed by the United States and Japan who import only relatively minor quantities of sheep meats. The volume of mutton and lamb entering international trade however, is currently over 520,000 tons, with lamb tonnages perhaps twice as great as those of mutton. The latest available figures of those few countries which have separate statistics for lamb and mutton exports (only New Zealand and Australia) and imports (only United Kingdom and the United States) reveal some interesting points. Thus of New Zealand's sheep meat export tonnages in 1966, only 20.8 per cent was mutton and 79.2 per cent was lamb. For Australia in the same year, almost the reverse position applied per cent of the sheep meats exported was mutton and only 15.0 per cent was lamb. The proportion of lamb in the sheep meats imports of the United Kingdom during 1966 was 94.5 per cent with only 5.5 per cent of mutton. The position for sheep meat imports by the United States was quite different in comparison with the United Kingdom. Of the mutton and lamb imports made by the United States in 1966, 80.4 per cent was mutton and only 19.6 per cent was of lamb. Thus it is clear that New Zealand is the leading world exporter of lamb and that the United Kingdom is by far the major importer of this product. Australian exports of mutton in 1966 exceeded those of New Zealand by 16.6 thousand tons but its lamb exports were only 16.1 thousand tons compared with thousand tons from New Zealand. The United Kingdom imported in 1966, 17.3 thousand tons of mutton and thousand tons of lamb. The United States in that year imported 27.0 thousand tons of mutton and only 6.6 thousand tons of lamb. The United Kingdom in 1966 took 92.2 per cent of New Zealand's lamb exports while the United States was the next largest importer, takiw some 5,851 tons of lamb from New Zealand or 2.0 per cent of her total lamb exports amounting to 290,033 tons. The United Kingdom imported only 17.9 per cent of New ZeaLand's total exports of mutton while Japan took 73.2 per cent of it, that is 58,805 tons.

3 154. Projections for 1975 With this statistical background to the recent international trade in lamb and mutton, it is now necessazy to look at the projections for the years 1975 and 1985 made in the FA0 report. The report (FAO, 1967) gives for 1975 two projections, one based on a low assumption and the other on a high assumption in which the gross domestic product (GDP) was computed to take into account two levels of economic growth and also population growth for each country studied. This provided a mass of figures but only those for a few countries will be considered here. Mutton and Lamb Projections for 1975 for Several Countries (i) Australia: Production of mutton and lamb in Australia is expected by 1975 to amount to 820,000 tons (low assumption) or as much as 840,000 tons (high assumption). Exports (or more correctly the difference between projected production and total demand) will amount to 237,000 tons (low assumption) or 257,000 tons (high assumption) Per caput demand will remain at 43.6 kg which is the present level of consumption. (ii) New Zealand: Production of mutton and lamb in New Zealand is expected by 1975 to amount to 610,000 tons (low assumption) or reach as high as 630,000 tons (high assumption). Exports are projected to amount to 470,000 tons (low assumption) or 490,000 tons (high assumption). Per caput demand will be 43.3 kg which is the present level of consumption. (iii) Ireland: Production of mutton and lamb is projected to reach 71,000 tons by 1975 (both assumptions) and exports will amount to 34,000 tons (low assumption) or 33,000 tons (high assumption). Per caput demand is expected to be 12.8 kg (low assumption)'or 13.3 kg (high assumption). (iv) Argentina: Projected production of mutton and lamb by 1975 is 172,000 tons (low assumption) or 174,000 tons (high assumption). Exports are projected to amount to 24,000 tons (low assumption) or 25,000 tons (high assumption). Per caput demand will remain at the present consumption level of 5.7 kg. (v) United Kingdom: The production of mutton and lamb in the United Kingdom is projected to reach 340,000 tons (low assumption) or 360,000 tons (high assumption) by If total demand is to be met, then some 383,000 tons (low assumption) or 388,000 tons (high assumption) must be imported. Per caput demand is expected to rise from the present level of consumption (11.8 kg) to 12.7 kg (low assumption) or to 13.1 kg (high assumption). (vi) United States: Projections for the production of mutton and lamb by 1975 in the United States amount to 383,000 tons (low assumption) or 390,000 tons (high assumption). To meet projected total demand for mutton and lamb then some 121,000 tons (low assumption) or 114,000 tons (high assumption) will need to be imported. Per caput demand is not expected to change from the present level of consumption, namely 2.3 kg.

4 155. ( v i i ) Canada: Mutton and lamb production i s projected t o amount t o 17,000 t o n s (both assumptions) by 1975 i n Canada b u t t o meet t h e d e f i c i t i n demand some 30,000 t o n s (low assumption) or 32,000 t o n s (high assumption) w i l l need t o be imported. Per caput demand i s projected t o r i s e t o 2.0 kg ( l o w assumption) or 2. 1 kg (high assumption) from t h e present l e v e l of consumpt i o n of o n l y 1. 8 kg. I n t h e s e c o u n t r i e s for which t h e projections have been taken, it i s encouraging t o note t h a t production of mutton and lamb i s expected t o increase e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e United S t a t e s and Canada where f e a r s have been expressed about t h e f u t u r e of t h e i r sheep i n d u s t r i e s. The export p o t e n t i d f o r t h e s e two products i s estimated t o be s a t i s f a c t o r y with all c o u n t r i e s who are a t present n e t importers increasing t h e i r need f o r imports by lamb: To quote from t h e r e p o r t i n t h e s e c t i o n dealing w i t h mutton and "AS i n t h e case of beef, t h e world imbalance emerging from t h e p r o j e c t i o n s f o r mutton and lamb i s due l a r g e l y t o t h e projected d e f i c i t of t h e developing and t h e c e n t r a l l y planned countries. The g l o b a l d e f i c i t w o u l d amount t o about 1 2 t o 1 4 per cent of t h e projected world demand. The p r o j e c t i o n s do not show any major change i n t h e p o s i t i o n of t h e United Kingdom as i n t h i s country increases i n domestic production seem l i k e l y t o meet approximately t h e growth of demand. The increases i n t h e d e f i c i t of western and southern Europe arise l a r g e l y from t h e projected continued f a l l or slow growth of domestic output i n France, I t a l y, Spain and Greece. I n most of t h e western European importing countries, with t h e exception of France and t h e United Kingdom, production has tended t o f a l l o r has remained s t a t i o n a r y since t h e e a r l y f i f t i e s. I n view of t h e s e p a s t trends, domestic production of t h e importers i n t h i s a r e a could not be expected t o increase on t h e whole by more than t h e projected 18 t o 25 per cer;t. A t t h e same t i m e projected per caput demand would be s t i l l r e l a t i v e l y low i n most European countries. If beef continues i n short supply import demand f o r mutton and lamb could be higher than suggested by t h e p r o j e c t i o n s f o r t h e region. The 1975 d e f i c i t of North America i s about double t h e a c t u d imports of t h i s region i n s p i t e of t h e f a c t t h a t production i s projected a t higher rates than were a t t a i n e d i n t h e p a s t. Japan's projected d e f i c i t d s o seems t o be r a t h e r low i n view of t h e recent r a p i d expansion of demand and imports i n t h i s country. Production i n A u s t r a l i a and New Zedand i s projected at t h e r a t h e r high rates of t h e p a s t 15 years. It i s assumed t h a t t h e recent downward trend i n t h e production of Argentina w i l l be reversed, but t h e exports of t h i s country may not r e g a i n by 1975 t h e l e v e l s. Even should t h e e f f e c t i v e net import demand of the developing and t h e c e n t r a l l y planned c o u n t r i e s not reach t h e projected l e v e l s by 1975, exportable supplies would s t i l l f a l l considerably short of t h e e f f e c t i v e world import demand. The

5 156. situation would then be similar to that projected for beef. Since new sources of supplies of significant size are not likely to appear, prices might be expected to rise, acting as a brake on demand and a world balance is likely to be achieved at lower than projected consumption levels in both the developing and the developed countries". Demand for Meat in 1985 The FA0 report dealt briefly with the demand for meat by It did not itemize the demand for the various classes of meat so the report does not give information on mutton and lamb as separate categories. However, excerpts from the section dealing with the projected situation by 1985 are of some pertinence and will be quoted below. - 1/ Footnote: "World demand for the major categories of meat is expected to increase between 1975 and 1985 by an additional 20 to 30 million tons bringing the total increase over the actdal consumption to some 43 and 60 million tons, depending on the course of population and income growth. If the projected increase in demand over the entire 23-year period were to be met, world production would have to rise by about 68 to 93 per cent over the estimated level. The magnitude of the increase in demand, particularly in the developing countries,l/ suggests that special attention will have to be paid to poultry and pigmeat production. The output of these products can be expanded rapidly and the feed conversion ratios which cm be obtained are relatively high. Meeting the increase in demand for meat to a large extent by these products is of great importance for those developing countries which are interested in maintaining or expanding their exports of beef and mutton, the products that are expected to be in relatively short supply in the world's cormnercid markets. In the developed countries &/ there may be a slight slowing down in growth of per caput demand for meat during , in view of the high consumption levels expected to be attained by the beginning of this period. The increases in production needed to satisfy the projected 1985 demand would not be out of line with past achievements and the imbalance between demand and supplies would not be size. Also in the centrally planned eastern Europe and the U.S.S.R. the growth The developing countries are those of Latin America and Africa. The developed countries include North America, Westerr* Europe, Japan, Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand), Republic of South Africa and South West Africa. The centrally planned countries are those of the U.S.S.R., Eastern Europe and China (Mainland), Mongolia, North Korea and North Vietnam.

6 157. in per caput demand over the period 1975 to 1985 will probably be slightly less pronounced than in the preceding 13 years. Although it is expected, in view of the growing attention being paid to agriculture in these countries, that meat production will make good progress, demand might continue to outrun production". Lamb and the Consumer So much for the international scene with its import duties, quotas and other impediments to trade. The question that now needs to be considered is: What does the consumer think of lamb? Several surveys have been conducted to obtain information on consumers' ideas about lamb. Probably the most important of these studies was the one undertaken by the American Sheep Producers' Council, Inc. in co-operation with the U. S. Department of Agriculture (Anon. 1964). It would be instructive in the context of this paper to repeat some of the major findings of that report. The survey showed that: "Thirty-seven per cent of the households in the United States use lamb, and less than one in three use it as often as once a week. About the same number used it less than once a month. Yet, 10 per cent of those who did not use lamb at home, did eat lamb when dining out. A majority of the lamb consumers live in the Northeast or on the West Coast and are located in the metropolitan or suburban areas. Generally, they are over 45 years of age, have family incomes of more than $10,000 and are from English speaking, Russian or Slavic ancestry. If they are frequent lamb users, then the head of the household is likely a professional person or a technician. Lamb is characterized as being easy to digest, high in protein, tender, and good for young and old alike. Respondents considered lamb to be tender, although they rated lamb less tender than beef, veal, pork or chicken. Some persons have the impression that lamb is a meat that persons become tired of, and others have the impression that it is expensive. Despite facts to the contrary, many persons, as indicated by the study, have the impression that lamb is not a versatile meat in terms of variety of preparation and cuts and when it can be served. Reasons for not liking lamb were often based on misconceptions or prejudices. Dislikes incltiied: someone in the family doesn't like it, some do not like the taste, the odor, they weren't taught to use it, and lamb is not available. Lack of availability was especially acute in the Midwestern and Southern states.

7 158. Lamb was not thought to be particularly appropriate for a wide variety of occasions. Greatest preferences for use of lamb was for Easter dinner, dinner at home, and special occasions such as dinner for important guests. The most popular lamb cuts indicated in the study were chops and leg, followed by stew meat, lamb patties and shoulder roasts. Color, leanness, general appearance and dependence upon the butcher's opinion were criteria used for selecting lamb by the consumer. In evaluating photographs of different qualities of lamb, leanness appeared to be the most important consideration. More than half of the lamb consumers felt that lamb was priced higher than other meats. Specific action that consumers said would encourage them to buy more lamb, would be greater availability of more interesting lamb recipes and cooking instructions. They also stated an interest in canned, frozen or pre-cooked lamb." The most recent survey of consumer attitudes toward meat carried out in the United States by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the National Live Stock and Meat Board revealed in a preliminary release that only 10 per cent of homemakers serve lamb at a frequency of more than once a month. This means that lamb is used substantially less in the United States than all other meats including chicken. Some New Zealand Research on Lamb It would be appropriate at this stage to discuss some aspects of research carried out at Massey University into improving the quality and acceptability of lamb. Time unfortunately does not permit a full review of all the lamb research carried out in New Zealand or elsewhere. Members of the American Meat Science Association will however, recall that on a previous occasion, New Zealand lamb and mutton research was reviewed in a paper presented to this meeting (Barton and Kirton, 1960); consequently work carried out subsequent to that date will, in the main: be considered here. The Influence of Pasture Species on Lamb Qualitx As New Zealand's meat production is based essentially on pasture grazing without dry-lot finishing it is obviously important to examine the effects, if any, of the major pasture species on the growth of lambs and on their carcass composition and quality. This has been a continuing project at Massey University for the last 10 years carried out as a collaborative effort with personnel of the Plant Chemistry Division and Grasslands Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

8 It has been demonstrated i n t h e s e s t u d i e s (Barton and U l v a t t, 1963; Rae, et d.,1964) t h a t sheep grazed on p e r e n n i a l r y e g r a s s (Lo1ium"perenne) only grow slowly and have l i g h t c a r c a s s e s f r e e from excess f a t. Sheep which grazed p a s t u r e composed of perennial ryegrass and white clover ( T r i f o l i u m repens) grew f a s t e r and had heavier c a r c a s s e s t h a n those on p e r e n n i a l ryeg r a s s only. These sheep grew f a s t e r t h a n those grazed on s h o r t - r o t a t i o n r y e g r a s s ( I t a l i a n r y e g r a s s (Lolium miltiflorum) crossed with perennial. ryegrass) only. The sheep which grazed white c l o v e r only, the fastest -. grew of all g r o u p s ~ a n dt h e y had t h e h e a v i e s t and f a t t e s t c a r c a s s e s. (Cramer, e t. &., 1967). - The composition of t h e c w c a s s e s w a s not a f f e c t e d d i f f e r e n t i a l l y by t h e p a s t u r e species e a t e n by t h e sheep (Barton and Ulyatt, 1963). Thus t h e r e were no d e t e c t a b l e changes i n t h e r e l a t i v e amounts or proportions of bone, muscle, m d f a t t h a t w a s not accounted f o r by d i f f e r e n c e s i n c w c a s s w e i g h t between t h e sheep from t h e vasious p a s t u r e s p e c i e s p l o t s. I n o t h e r words, i r r e s p e c t i v e of t h e p a s t u r e species e a t e n by t h e sheep, t h e h e a v i e s t c a r c a s s e s had t h e most f a t, muscle and bone. It would t h e r e f o r e, appear t h a t with t h e e x i s t i n g, high-producing pasture species a v a i l a b l e t o New Zealand farmers, it would not be p o s s i b l e t o change t h e composition of c a r c a s s e s of equal weight merely by changing t h e s p e c i e s i n a p a s t u r e. It i s possible, however, t o change t h e growth rate and consequently t h e c a r c a s s weight of sheep by a l t e r i n g t h e s p e c i e s i n a p a s t u r e. T h i s i n t u r n could affect t h e number of sheep c a r r i e d per a c r e. From t h e lamb and mutton c a r c a s s e s i n t h e s e p a s t u r e species t r i a l s samples of f a t have been analyzed including t h e determination of t h e i r melting p o i n t s. It w a s shown i n one study (Shorland, e t. g., 1967) t h a t t h e f a t s from t h e ryegrass-fed sheep were harder t h a n t h o s e f e d on p a s t u r e g., 1967 containing white c l o v e r. I n a subsequent experiment, Cramer, could not however, demonstrate d i f f e r e n c e s i n t h e hardness of t h e f a t s due t o t h e pasture s p e c i e s eaten. et. Comparisons have been made of t h e p d a t a b i l i t y of t h e cooked chop of lambs which had grazed e i t h e r white clover or p e r e n n i a l ryegrass. A t r a i n e d t a s t e panel found t h a t t h e odor and f l a v o r of chops from lambs which had grazed white clover were more i n t e n s e t h a n those which had grazed al. 1967). The c o r r e l a t i o n s between p e r e n n i a l r y e g r a s s only (Cramer, t h e amount of f a t present i n t h e l o i n x d t h e f l a v o r of l e a n and of f a t from t h e l o i n chops were e i t h e r s m a 3 1 o r were non-existent. Subsequent work has shown t h a t t h e t h i o b a r b i t u r i c a c i d (TBA) numbers are s i g n i f i c a n t l y higher f o r t h e f a t and l e a n of young sheep f e d white clover compared with t h o s e f e d p e r e n n i a l ryegrass. T h i s means t h a t t h e white clover-fed lambs have f a t which oxidizes more r a p i d l y t h a n t h e f a t from t h e p e r e n n i a l ryegrass-f ed lambs. et. I n t h e mechanical assessment of tenderness, using samples from t h e lonrissimus d o r s i of lambs, no d i f f e r e n c e s were found which could be a t t r i b uted t o t h e p a s t u r e s p e c i e s e a t e n.

9 160. A n i m a l G e n o t n e E f f e c t s on Lamb I n one experiment, two d i f f e r e n t t y p e s of Southdown rams were mated t o Romney ewes. One type w a s short, blocky and compact and t h e other was leggy, long i n t h e body and l e s s meaty i n appearance. The rams of t h e l a t t e r type were f r e e from wool on t h e f a c e and l e g s. This i n v e s t i g a t i o n provided a comparison between rams of t h e "old type" and those of t h e "modern type. It w a s shown (Barton,et. g., 1949; Barton and P h i l l i p s, 195C) t h a t t h e carcasses of t h e l a m b s a y t h e modern type Southdown ram graded very much b e t t e r because they were s h o r t e r i n t h e leg, were more compact and had more f a t. The mean weight and length of t h e cannon bones (metacarpals) of t h e i r progeny were l e s s than those by t h e Southdown rams of t h e old type. The measurements on t h e cross-section of t h e ribeye a t t h e t w e l f t h r i b were not s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t between t h e progeny of t h e two s i r e groups. The progeny of t h e compact, modern type of Southdown rams took about 13 days longer t o reach slaughter weight and t h e i r carcass weight was 0.5 l b. l i g h t e r than those lambs s i r e d by t h e old type of rams. I n another p r o j e c t, be found on t h e tenderness of unpublished). Furthermore no which were r e l a t e d t o t h e age wether). no sire e f f e c t involving Southdown rams could samples of 1. d o r s i muscle (Purchas, e t. important e f f e c t s on tenderness c o u l d 7 e found of t h e lamb or i t s sex ( t h a t is, ewe or s., Carcass Grades and Conformation Differences An e a r l i e r study on t h e composition of carcasses i n t h e d i f f e r e n t New Zealand export grades w a s reported t o t h i s Conference i n 1960 (Barton, 1960). More recently, Kemp and Barton (1966) have published t h e results of t h e i r i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n t o t h e composition and cut-out values of nine grades of New Zealand export lamb. I n general, s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s i n terms of l i n e a r measurements, weights and percentages of separable lean, f a t and bone and chemical composition were found between a l l grades. The carcasses i n t h e heavier graides were f a t t e r a.nd those i n $he t o p grades, i r r e s p e c t i v e of carcass weight, were also f a t t e r absolutely and proportionally. Their separable l e a n content w a s lower as a l s o w a s t h e i r bone content. Grading i n New Zedand f o r export i s based l a r g e l y on conformat i o n and f a t f i n i s h. The t o p grades have t h e more compact shape and are f a t t e r. Their superior conformation was not found t o a f f e c t t h e i r cut-out y i e l d i n terms of t h e proportions of high-priced c u t s. This provides f u r t h e r evidence t h a t conventional standards of shapeliness i n lamb carcasses are not r e l a t e d p o s i t i v e l y t o cut-out value or t o y i e l d of l e a n. Lamb Cuts Judging Standard I n order t o encourage t h e production of b e t t e r lamb carcasses, t h e New Zealand Meat Producers Board has f o r many years sponsored lamb carcass c o n t e s t s throughout t h e country. The b e s t seven e n t r i e s appraised on t h e i n t a c t carcasses (each e n t r y i s a pen of t h r e e lambs) from each d i s t r i c t axe

10 161. shipped to London and judged by a panel of Smithfield meat men. Although this competition is still held, a new procedure for assessing the value of lamb carcasses has been introduced (Barton, 1968). This is based on measurements of the length of leg (tibia-tarsal bone length) and on a measurement of the "depth" of the 1. dorsi muscle at the twelfth rib and a subcutaneous fat thickness measurement taken at this section. Points are awarded for these characters and the top scoring carcasses are then cut into leg, loin (including rack), shoulder and trimmings. The weights of these cuts are multiplied by a price factor for each cut. The sum of these calculations is divided by the weight of the side and expressed as a unit value per 50 lb. carcass weight. Some 400 carcasses can be judged using this technique in about 10 hours by two judges each with a clerk. This lamb cuts judging system has resulted in farmers and others becoming very much more aware of the problem of fat and the need for greater development of the ribeye in lambs. Conclusion Lamb producers and research workers in the area of lamb quality have accepted the challenge to improve the product so that it will be retained in the market place and sell in volume. The difficulties of supply in some countries, can be overcome by complementing domestic production with imported frozen lamb. This would be mutually advantageous to both countries as has long been the position in the United Kingdom. The international statistics of projected demand show that mutton and lamb will be needed in greater quantities in the future and the FA0 specialists predict a rising price. This should encourage greater production and the place of sheep meat will then be assured in the markets of the developed nations. Lamb needs to be promoted, especially in the United States, where there is little usage of it and often many prejudices against it. It is a quality meat and worthy of a major promotional effort. Promotion, however, must be linked with supply and this is where difficulties can and do arise in this market. I m convinced that the future for lamb is good. To ensure its continuing appeal, more research is needed to learn how to overcome its defects, how to increase the production of more lambs of the kind that axe sought by the consumer - the consumer-preferred lamb - and how to market the product in the most appealing way. With effort directed along these lines, lamb will I am sure have a lasting and profitable future.

11 162. References Anon. (1964) : Lamb and t h e consumer - preferences, a t t i t u d e s and t h e image of lamb i n t h e United S t a t e s. Rept. sponsored by American Sheep Producers Cour,cil, I n c. and U. S. Department of Agriculture (Mimeo.). Barton, R. A. (1960): The grading of New Zealand lamb and mutton carcasses. Proc. 1 3 t h Ann. Recip. Meats Conf., Chicago, pp (Mimeo.) Barton, R. A. (1968) : The New Zealand National lamb c u t s judging standard. B u l l. I n s t. Meat, No. 60: Barton, R. A., Kirton, A. H. (1960): New Zealand lamb and mutton research. R o c. 1 3 t h Ann. Recip. Meats Conf., Chicago, pp (Mimeo.) Barton, R. A., P h i l l i p s, T. 0. (1950): Type of Southdown s i r e i n r e l a t i o n t o f a t lamb c a r c a s s q u a l i t y. Sheepfarming Ann. 1950, Barton, R. A., P h i l l i p s, T. O., Clarke, E. A. (1949): Influence of s i r e on f a t lamb q u a l i t y. Proc. N. Z. SOC. h i m. Prod. 9 : Barton, R. A., Ulyatt, M. J. (1963): Pasture type i n r e l a t i o n t o l i v e weight gain, carcass composition, iodine n u t r i t i o n and some rumen c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of sheep. P a s t 11. Carcass composition and t h e noncascass components of live-weight. J. writ. Sci., 61 : Cramer, D. A., Barton, R. A., Shorland, F. B., Czochanska, Z. (1967): A compwison of t h e e f f e c t s of white clover (Trifolium repens) and of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) on f a t composition and f l a v o u r of lamb. J. agr i c. Sci., 69 : FA0 (1967): A g r i c u l t u r a l Commodities - p r o j e c t i o n s f o r and V o l. 1. Food and Agriculture Organization of t h e United Nations. (Mimeo ). Kemp, James D., Barton, R. A. (1966): Composition of lamb caxcasses and cuts of New Zealand export grades. N. Z. J. a g r i c. R e s. 9 : PUTchas, R. W., Williamson, Olwyn, Barton R. A., Rae A. L. (1968): I n v e s t i g a t i o n s i n t o t h e e f f e c t s of animal genotype, pasture type, age, sex, and preslaughter management on tenderness and cooking l o s s e s of lamb md mutton. (Submitted f o r p u b l i c a t i o n ). R a e, A. L., Brougham, R. W., Barton, R. A. (1964): A note on live-weight gains of sheep grazing d i f f e r e n t ryegrass pastures. N. Z, J. a g r i c. Res. 7 : Shorland, F. B., Czochanska, Z., Barton, R. A., Rae, A. L. (1967): A comparison between t h e e f f e c t s of ryegrass and white clover on t h e iodine values and m e l t i n g p o i n t s of some depot f a t s of sheep. J. agr i c. Sci. 68 :

12 163. D. A. CRAMER: Thank you, Bob. It is encouraging that you ended your paper on an optimistic note, and that we may yet have the sheep industry with us for many years to come. The next paper is a report on the sheep industry development program which is a program designed to take a look at the sheep industry and survey it and hold some symposia and see what can be done to improve the situation. This is a large program set up at the federal level. It's a cooperative program between the Federal Extension Service and the American Sheep Producers Council. This is a two year program. They are going to have all these symposia and collect all these data and come up with some sort of publication that will be of value to the sheep industry. Our speaker to give us a report on this program is an old western boy that somehow got led astray and moved back to Washington--Dixon Hubbard. He is the Extension Animal. Husbandman- -Extension Animal Scientist with the Federal Extension Service in Washington. ###############