Lamb handling assessment points for slaughter

Handling points give the best indication of the level of finish and fat class. Find out how to assess conformation and fat below.

Typically, five key points are used to assess the finish and fat class of lambs:

• Dock
• Loin
• Ribs
• Shoulder
• Breast

To assess conformation, feel the animal at shoulder and loin.

Figure 1. Assessing conformation at the shoulder (left) and loin (right)

To assess fat level, feel the animal at the dock, loin, ribs, shoulder and breast.

• Individual bones very easy to detect
• Individual bones easy to detect with light pressure
• Moderate pressure to detect individual bones
• Firm pressure to detect individual bones
• Individual bones cannot be detected

• Very easy to feel between processes that are very prominent
• Prominent spinous and transverse processes felt easily
• Tips of processes rounded. Individual bones felt as corrugations with light pressure
• Spinous processes felt with moderate pressure. Transverse processes felt with firm pressure
• Individual processes cannot be felt

• Individual ribs feel very bare, prominent and easy to detect
• Individual ribs show slight cover, but still easy to detect
• Individual ribs have softer feel, with fat cover becoming more evident in between and over ribs, which are now less easy to detect
• Individual ribs are only detectable with firm pressure
• Individual ribs are undetectable, soft, rolling, spongy feel

Figure 2. Assessing fatness at the dock, loin and rib (left to right)

S: Spinous processes undetectable, extremely convex profile with great width, shoulders very broad.

E: Spinous processes undetectable, very convex profile, wide and thick to the shoulder.

U: Spinous processes just detectable, flesh beginning to create a convex profile.

R: Spinous processes less prominent, with flesh creating a straight profile under the hand.

O: Spinous processes still prominent, less concave with some evidence of flesh beginning to fill the hand.

P: Very prominent spinous processes evident. Very concave profile to the centre of the hand.

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.