Sheep producers in the North and North-East
are invited to a lamb selection and butchery demo as part of the Monitor Farm
programme. The free meeting will bring together all three North Monitor Farms –
Strathspey, Deeside and Buchan.
Open to all, the event at Huntly Mart on 13
November will focus on selecting healthy lambs for market and a butchery
demonstration of value-added cuts in new season lamb, with discussions
involving a variety of speakers.
Michael Wilson of Woodhead Bros, Turriff,
will demonstrate handling and conformation of lambs for sale, followed by a
discussion about batching and presenting lambs for the ring with United
Auctions staff. Correct batching can make a huge difference to achieving a
successful sale, as all buyers are seeking consistency of weights, says United
Auctions director Donald Young.
Vet Tim Geraghty from SRUC Veterinary
Services, who has a remit for disease surveillance across the North of
Scotland, will talk about lamb health, with a discussion about seasonal health
issues.
Butchery techniques, including traditional
and value-added cuts, will be demonstrated by Gary Raeburn of Forbes Raeburn
Butchers. The Huntly butchery business has won awards for its innovative lamb
products, including its popular Scotch lamb stacks. Gary is supplying the meat
for the evening’s lamb-based dishes prepared by Forrest Catering.
Monitor Farm north cluster adviser Peter
Beattie said: “The key aims of this evening are to highlight the preparation
needed for a good lamb sale and to discuss new season lamb health issues.
“The butchery demonstration will look at some
of the new ways butchers are presenting lamb, and we will be talking about
promoting Scotch Lamb prior to St Andrew’s Day.
“We will also be auctioning lamb cuts on the
evening to raise money for RSABI and look forward to welcoming everyone to an
informative and entertaining evening.”
The event is on Monday 13 November from 5-8pm
at Huntly UA Mart. Booking is essential; https://www.monitorfarms.co.uk/events/?date=upcoming. For
further information on each Monitor Farm, see www.monitorfarms.co.uk
or contact North cluster adviser Peter Beattie on 07769 366614 or email monitorfarm@qmscotland.co.uk