Lamb dressing specifications

There are two dressing specifications agreed by the industry: the reference specification and the UK standard specification. Find out what these are and how they differ.

Dressing specifications vary between abattoirs and have implications on the final carcase weight and financial return. The dressing specification will be noted on the kill sheet.

The reference specification: Fleece, head, fore and hind feet, tail, genitalia, contents of abdominal and thoracic cavities removed. Kidney channel fat and diaphragm left in the carcase.

The UK standard specification: Fleece, head, fore and hind feet, tail, genitalia, contents of abdominal and thoracic cavities, kidney knobs, channel fat and diaphragm removed.

The variance in weight between the two recognised dressing specifications can vary by 2–4%.

It's important to compare dressing specifications when deciding which outlet to target as it will affect the final carcase weight and, therefore, your returns.

Our virtual selection tool shows how real and virtual animals look at different points in the classification grid.

It also takes you through different carcase cuts, yield data and several other topics related to selection.