Beef breeders told to cash in on technology

Modern technology is increasingly making the traditional system of grading cattle carcases redundant and beef producers should focus on how they can improve their profitability with the newer systems that are being brought in by abattoirs.

“Supermarkets do not buy carcases. They buy so many packs of steak or so many packs of mince and as a result meat processors are now looking far more closely into how they can get more accuracy in their sourcing of cattle,” according to Dr Basil Lowman, beef specialist with the Scottish Agricultural College.

The traditional method of grading cattle is now being surpassed with the use of scanners which can provide far more accurate assessments of saleable meat joints and the percentage of saleable cuts.

“Farmers need to concentrate on producing more meat in the valuable parts of the carcase,” said Lowman.