New Zealand beef export carcass grading

The saleable meat, bone and trimmed fat content was measured on the sides of 643 steer, 273 heifer and 1086 bull carcasses. Saleable meat yield declined from approximately 70% in grade M to 59% in grade T for steers and heifers, while fat trim increased from approximately 8% in grade M to 25% in grade T. Carcass saleable meal yield in bulls was almost constant (72.6 + 0.6%) regardless of weight. The fat grades of the current New Zealand beef grading system, although based on visual assessment of fatness, appear to be functioning as a meat yield grade system. The only anomaly in the system is the incomplete introduction of conformation in the P fat grade which results in poor conformation P fat grade carcasses being graded in the fatter G grade.