Abstract

Lamb producers are being provided with strong incentives to gain better control over the growth performance of their animals. These incentives are driven by increased demand for lean product of consistent quality, rigid market specifications, and significant penalties when carcasses do not meet the criteria imposed by processors. Feed conversion efficiency is enhanced whenthe ratio of lean to fat deposition is improved (Sillence, 2004). This is an important consideration for producers due to rising costs of generating high quality feed. Hence, increasing the proportion ofcarcasses that meet market specifications can improve the profitability of a lamb-production enterprise.

SA, McCoard, J Koolaard, A Charteris, and D Luo

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 70, Palmerston North, 133-136, 2010