PRIME beef carcases improved in quality during 2012.
The figures also show young bull carcases improved the most, there was an increase in fat cover in heifers, and steer carcases were the heaviest ever.
QUALITY Superior
carcase sire Fisher 1 Ensign bred by WJ Hutchings & Sons
Half of the prime beef
carcases classified in Great Britain met the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) target of 'R4L or better' from a sample of more than 300,000 prime cattle checked by the Meat and Livestock Commission last year.
The collection point will be situated at Ewart Newtown Farm, Wooler, from where the
carcases will be removed for rendering or incineration.
"Encouragingly, these quality improvements were achieved at the same time as a increase in average
carcase weights for all classes."
The NFU is campaigning to remove the health and safety procedure of splitting sheep
carcases and removing the spinal cord, saying the risk of any disease spreading from animals to humans is virtually non existent anyway.
This is supported by the reduction in the average
carcase weights of lambs slaughtered in English abattoirs also recorded by MLC ( from 20.1kg in 2005 to 19.6kg last year.
The slight annual decline in English
carcase quality was evident in both steers and heifers, although young bull quality improved somewhat, following its noticeable decline in 2004.
Yesterday he denied five charges of failing to dispose of animal by-products correctly and one of allowing live animals access to
carcases, but was found guilty by magistrates in Bedlington.
The English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex) study involved detailed analysis of nearly 100,000 passport and
carcase records from animals slaughtered by leading beef processor ABP in its three English plants in the 10 months to September 2004.