Australian Meat Processor Corporation Analysis Links Genetics to Lamb Quality

The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) presented the results of Australia's largest analysis of lamb eating quality during the LambEx26 event in Adelaide. The study analyzed more than 5,300 lambs from 52 producers across New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia to determine which factors most impact meat quality.

Findings revealed that neither specific breeds nor feeding systems, such as grass-fed or feedlot methods, were the primary drivers of eating quality. Instead, the analysis identified genetics and data as the critical factors. Researchers noted a negative relationship where eating quality decreases as lean meat yield increases, though the data proved that high performance in both categories is possible.

These results integrate into the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) sheepmeat cuts-based model, which allows processors to segregate meat by quality. In response to these findings, the New South Wales-based processor Gundagai Lamb has begun MSA grading every lamb it processes to provide direct feedback to producers.