New Zealand beef export carcass grading
E.G. Woods, P.J. Fowke, J.J. Bass and B.W. Butler-Hogg
Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries, Hamilton
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
1986, 46: 63-66
The saleable meat, bone and trimmed fat content was measured on
the sides of 643 steer, 273 heifer and 1086 bull carcasses. Saleable
meat yield declined from approximately 70% in grade M to 59% in grade T
for steers and heifers, while fat trim increased from approximately 8%
in grade M to 25% in grade T. Carcass saleable meat yield in bulls was
almost constant (72.6 ± 0.6%) regardless of weight. The fat grades of
the current New Zealand beef grading system, although based on visual
assessment of fatness, appear to be functioning as a meat yield grade
system. The only anomaly in the system is the incomplete introduction
of conformation in the P fat grade which results in poor conformation P
fat grade carcasses being graded in the fatter G grade.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
Grading; steers; heifers; bulls; carcass composition
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Last Updated 18-03-1997
