University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings XXII International Grassland Congress The Place of Crossbred Lambs in Australian Lamb Production David L. Hopkins NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia Suzanne I. Mortimer NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia Jessica S. Richards NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/22/1-8/2 The XXII International Grassland Congress (Revitalising Grasslands to Sustain Our Communities) took place in Sydney, Australia from September 15 through September 19, 2013. Proceedings Editors: David L. Michalk, Geoffrey D. Millar, Warwick B. Badgery, and Kim M. Broadfoot Publisher: New South Wales Department of Primary Industry, Kite St., Orange New South Wales, Australia This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Improving quality of livestock products to meet market and community demands The place of crossbred lambs in Australian lamb production David L Hopkins A, Suzanne I Mortimer B and Jessica S Richards C A NSW Department of Primary Industries, Centre for Red Meat and Sheep Development, PO Box 129, Cowra NSW 2794, Australia B NSW Department of Primary Industries, Agricultural Research Centre, Trangie NSW 2823, Australia C NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, Forest Road, Orange NSW 2800, Australia Contact email: [email protected] Abstract. The Australian sheep industry, particularly the lamb meat sector has undergone a major change in focus, such that consumer requirements are a paramount determinant for production and processing developments. This change has been facilitated by the use of cross breeding production systems where the benefits of heterosis are captured and the implementation of a performance recording system amongst initially, breeders of terminal sires. This sector of the industry has strongly embraced genetic selection using objectively measured traits and this is one of the contributors to the superior growth rate of crossbred progeny over pure bred progeny. A crossbreeding system does present challenges as it can also lead to fatter carcases depending on slaughter weight targets and thus less lean or saleable meat. This means that appropriate sire selection is mandatory. Which ever region of the world is under consideration; crossbreeding for meat production will return benefits and these will be further strengthened if the processing sector also adopts technology to enhance eating quality such as electrical stimulation and ageing. Keywords: Lamb, carcase, crossbreeding, quality. Introduction linked to maximising the attributes of breeds that were being used to produce consumer acceptable meat. In this The Australian lamb industry went through a period of regard Australia had a unique production system that re-evaluation in the mid 1980's as producers were faced utilised hybrid vigour and cross bred lambs (Fogarty et with declining returns and domestic consumption al. 1995). The importance of this structured cross- dropped (Thatcher 1992). This was due to a general shift breeding system, where sires from terminal meat breeds away from red meat, a declining share of Australian lamb are mated to ewes from maternal breeds or breed crosses, in export markets, rising production costs (Ashton-Jones will be outlined in this paper. 1986) and a failure to provide consumers with an appropriate product. The response was development of a Genetic improvement series of programs (e.g. Thatcher 1992) that encompass- ed an integrated approach to research, development and The establishment of the NSW Meat Sheep Testing marketing considering the production, processing and Service (MSTS) (Harris 1985) was the foundation of retailing sectors of the lamb industry. A core component genetic improvement programs that were to follow in of these programs was increasing the carcase weight of Australia and this lead to the development of LAMPLAN Australian lambs while reducing fat levels to facilitate which was launched in 1989 (Banks 1990). the cost effective preparation of new retail ready cuts. LAMBPLAN has undergone continuous improvement These cuts were test marketed and consumer attitudes providing Australia with a world leading performance established (Hopkins et al. 1992) and in the 90’s this recording and genetic evaluation system that started with approach was significantly expanded with the launch of Terminal sire breeds (Fogarty 2009). This system has ‘Trim Lamb’ (Hopkins et al. 1995) and the growth in been expanded to encompass all breeds including the export markets both predicated on the use of lean, heavy Merino under the banner of MERINOSELECT through carcases. Consequently the average carcase weight of Sheep Genetics (Brown et al. 2007). For various reasons Australian lamb showed a significant increase from the the genetic progress amongst Terminal sire breeds has early 1990’s at approximately 17.5 kg to approximately been the greatest as outlined by Swan et al. (2009) and 21 kg by 2006 (CIE 2008) and exports to markets like the this has enabled even greater gains in crossbred lamb US increased at 14% per year on average between 1990 production as genetic progress has also occurred in the and 2007 (CIE 2008). The Australian lamb industry is Maternal breeds like the Border Leicester (Swan et al. now worth in excess of AU$3.5 billon up from AU$1.5 2009). As such the use of performance recording and billion (AUS) in 1999 (CIE 2008). genetic evaluation technologies in Australia over the last One of the strategies to achieve carcases that 2 decades has resulted in an annual increase of $2.00 per provided the basis for leaner, more consumer acceptable ewe in terminal sire breeds through improvements in cuts was a focus on genetic improvement. This was growth, leanness and muscling (Swan et al. 2009). This © 2013 Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Congress 536 Hopkins et al. progress has extenuated the benefits that have been Table 1. Summary of mean carcase weights for different derived from crossbred lambs for meat production. The genotypes (pure bred to second cross) compared in different development and availability of specialist breeds is countries. Where indicated means followed by a different desirable as a simulation study by van der Werf (2006) letter within experiments are significantly different if the paper reported the differences has shown for a range of price ratio scenarios between meat and wool that a crossbreeding system using Breed type Mean carcase Source/Country specialised breeds is likely to be more profitable than a weight (kg) system using a dual purpose breed. Merino x Merino 11.2a Kleemann et al. (1984)/Australia Impact of crossbreeding on lamb meat Border Leicester x 12.4b production Merino Poll Dorset x Merino 12.7b In experimental work over several years the higher birth Romney x Romney 11.8a Kirton et al. weight and faster growth to weaning of crossbred lambs (1995)/New Zealand over pure bred lambs was clearly shown (Atkins and Merino x Romney 12.0a Gilmour 1981). In this case the crossbreds grew 30% Border Leicester x 14.8b faster to weaning. One group of ewes used in this study Romney were a Border Leicester x Merino (BLM) cross, with Poll Dorset x Romney 14.8b other ewes representing the Corriedale, Polwarth and Greyface x Greyface 19.4 Carson et al. Merino breeds. The BLM type is used extensively in (1999)/Ireland* Australia which gives a 3-tier system. In this system, Texel x Texel 20.4 Merino producers usually join Merino ewes culled on Texel x Greyface 21.6 wool traits from a purebred self replacing system to Texel x (Texel x 21.7 Border Leicester rams and the resultant BLM ewes are Greyface) then sold to lamb producers who join them to Terminal Poll Dorset x (Border 23.3 Fogarty et al. sire breeds (Kleemann et al. 1984). From this system Leicester x Merino) (2000)/Australia* there are pure Merino male lambs sold for meat, usually Texel x (Border 22.8 at older ages given their slower growth (Atkins and Leicester x Merino) Gilmour 1981) which have been estimated to make up Poll Dorset x Merino 22.4 20% of the Australian lamb slaughter (Fogarty et al. Texel x Merino 22.2 1995). The system also produces BLM male lambs which Border Leicester x 21.9 are sold for slaughter. There are also some Merino Merino producers who join excess ewes to Terminal sires to Merino x Merino 19.7 1 produce a first cross lamb (Kleemann et al. 1984) and Poll Dorset x (Border 27.5a Ponnampalam et al. Leicester x Merino) (2007a)/Australia3 these along with BLM cross male lambs make up more Poll Dorset1 x Merino 24.1b than 25% of slaughtered lambs (Fogarty et al. 1995). 2 The remaining significant group estimated previously at Poll Dorset x Merino 23.1bc 40% of slaughter lambs (Fogarty et al. 1995) are the Border Leicester x 22.3c Merino second cross types from Terminal sires over BLM type Merino x Merino 18.1d ewes. With recent droughts and changes in the 1 2 profitability of wool production there has been a marked *Differences not reported; Sires selected on growth; Sires selected on muscling; 3For 8 month old lambs increase in the number of crossbred and non Merino ewes in the National flock (Anon. 2004) leading to a Pure breds of any breed will take longer to reach change in the genotype composition of the lamb target carcase weights compared with crossbreds as slaughter. This change has included the emergence of the evidenced by the results of Carson et al.