Beef and lamb farmers are invited to a series of Scottish Meat the Market workshops.
Organised by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), the events aim to give beef and lamb producers greater industry knowledge about target specifications for finished animals in order to accurately access if livestock is ready for sale and maximise returns. Processing plant tours will enable visiting farmers to visually grade cattle before slaughter and see the resulting carcass for later comparison.
Farmer, Lawrence Martin, visited the Bridge of Allan abattoir during a Meat the Market workshop. He said: “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, said: “To maximise returns, it is important to present clean animals that fit the required end user specification in terms of conformation and fat cover. These workshops will provide valuable insight to that process, along with feedback from processors on areas relating to livestock health, that may impact carcase quality or cause condemnations.”
The workshops take place on 30 January. The first workshop starts at 9:00am and will focus on lamb with the second workshop focusing on cattle starting at 13:00. The events will last around four hours and will be held at Woodhead Brothers, Turriff. 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 focussing on beef lamb are planned for later dates and will be announced soon.
For more information or to book a place please contact 0131 510 7920.