Beef and lamb farmers are invited to a series of Scottish Meat the Market workshops, with the first event focusing on beef.
These events, organised by Quality Meat Scotland, aim to guide beef and lamb producers, offering industry knowledge about target specifications for finished animals. Processing plant tours will enable visiting farmers to visually grade cattle before slaughter, before seeing the resulting carcass for later comparison. Visitors will be given guidance on carcass grading of home finished cattle, to help with determining if they are ready for sale and to ensure maximised returns.
Farmer Lawrence Martin spoke about his trip to the Bridge of Allan abattoir during a Meat the Market workshop, “Seeing carcasses on the line after grading the animals in lairage was insightful, as a result, we are now hand grading lambs before weighing those deemed fit, it has changed the order in which we do things, saving us time. Meeting other farmers at these workshops is as valuable as what we learn from the speakers, I will certainly be attending more of these events.”
Speakers – George Allan, Divisional Manager with Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Ltd (MLCSL) and Adrian Crowe, industry specialist, – will explain market specifications, customer requirements, presentation of animals and minimising risk of carcase downgrades.
Bruce McConachie Head of Industry Development at QMS, says, “It is important to present clean animals that fit the required processor grade specification for conformation and fat cover, to ensure that returns can be maximised. Seeing livestock graded offers valuable insight and feedback from the abattoirs and may highlight any issues relating to your cattle or lamb health, that may cause downgrades or condemnations.”
The first workshop on Tuesday 10 October starts at 9.30am, focussing on cattle, and will last around four and a half hours. It will be held at Highland Meats (Dunbia), Saltcoats on the West Coast. Booking is essential as places are limited and refreshments will be offered. Attendees must be over 18 years of age, with photo ID.
More workshops including those focussing on lamb are planned for later dates and will be announced soon.
For more information or to book a place please contact: lmitchell@qmscotland.co.uk / 0131 510 7920.