Garden Route Slaughter Lamb Competition

by Manie Grobler (left) and Samantha Adey

The average carcass weight was 20.7kg, with an average dressing percentage of 45.5%. Classification was one A0, nine A1s, 52 A2s and one A3, with five having a conformation of 2, 55 with a conformation of 3 and 4 with a conformation of 4. An overall excellent result!

AA total of 11 farms in the Eden District competed in the Slaughter Lamb Competition, held at Roelcor Abattoir in George in November 2022. Of these, seven were smallholder- and four commercial farmers. Lambs are entered in groups of four, and 16 groups were entered, making for a total of 64 lambs in the competition.

The competition was well supported and a great success.

Acknowledgements

As the quality of the carcasses was top-notch, it was a close finish. From left, Tommy Philips (Novo, Riversdale), Cornell Landman (Karoo Lusern, Oudtshoorn), and Hadley Meintjies (George) were the best group winners. Karoo Lusern won Best Individual Carcass. Manie Grobler (right) of the Department handed the winners their prizes.

Thanks go to the farmers for their participation and for entering exemplary animals, to Roelcor Abattoir George for the use of their facilities and for supporting the competition, to the sponsors of the prizes, Biorem and Lionel’s Vet, to the Agricultural Skills and Development Programme in George for the use of their facilities and for providing refreshments, and to the Agricultural Producer Support and Development (APSD) officials of the Garden Route and Little Karoo for organisation, logistics and the recording and analysis of the competition results. The Red Meat Forum of the APSD Garden Route has made a significant impact in improving the quality of slaughter animals in the region. AP

For more information, contact Manie Grobler: manie.grobler@westerncape.gov.za