Quantifying the costs associated with grass seed damage to lamb carcases.

Summary

The cost of the grass seed damage to processors has knock-on costs throughout the business.  Consequently, it can be complex to estimate the cost of downgraded carcases.  This project attempted to quantify the increased operational costs on the slaughter floor and boning room relative to the degree of grass seed infestation.  Further to this, primal cuts were evaluated for decreased marketability due to reduced weight or damage to the integrity of the cuts.  The level of damage that the primal could sustain before being downgraded was also assessed.
A grass seed module (GSEED module) was then developed within Excel to calculate the cost of grass seed contamination to the business on a whole carcase and per kilogram basis.  The module estimates the amount of trim removed relative to the location and severity of GSEED infestation and its impact on the final primal weight.  The module allows the user to edit the costs of production, severity of primal down grade, and lost revenue.
The GSEED module was developed to assist processors quantify the cost of GSEED infestation, and to help understand where the costs are occurring along the processing chain.  Additionally, the module estimate of GSEED cost could help justify penalties applied to seedy lambs that are traded over the hooks and underpin communications to prime lamb producers.