SHOPPERS in Yangebup and surrounds were feasting on some of WA's top lamb product last week but they weren't paying anywhere near the $1200 per carcase or $48 per kilogram the bodies commanded.
Career butcher Marco Panizza, Marco's Fussy Meats and Kitchen, Yangebup and Applecross, and his business partner Chris Faulds bid the day's top of $3600 for three outstanding lamb carcases at last week's inaugural Smoke Free Perth Royal Show lamb carcase auction.
The lambs, all out of Border Leicester-Merino cross ewes and sired by Texel rams, were bred by Jim and Jan Glover, JimJan Texel stud, Boyup Brook.
Fastidious about quality, Mr Panizza said he selected the three carcases for their saddle, good amount of blood content in the bone, optimum fat content, meat colour and sharp crutch bone.
"I learnt from an old timer years ago that young healthy lambs always have a sharper crutch bone and plenty of blood in their bones, if the bones are all white then it's an older lamb," he said.
"The fat content was ideal as we don't want wastage from having to cut fat off.
"We used to get paid for tallow and bone, now we have to pay someone to take it away so there is no value in an excess of either."
To that end, Mr Panizza said he also looked for carcases with a well-rounded butt and shorter legs saying long legs only added to the waste pile.
On the issue of breed type he said he had no particular preference, although when he started in the industry at 15 years of age Southdown were touted as the best.
Mr Panizza, who bought 39 lamb carcases at the sale at an average of $170 per carcase, said he had been very happy to support the auction and WA producers and it was an added bonus that some of the money would be going to charity (The Royal Flying Doctor Service).
"I went there with $10,000 in my pocket and came home with some change so I have to be happy," Mr Panizza said.
"The cherry industry has its annual Charity Cherry Auction in December (to raise money for Princess Margaret Hospital) so why shouldn't the lamb industry have something similar."
Regulars in the ribbon haul in lamb carcase competitions, Jim and Jan Glover were delighted to receive the overall top price at the inaugural auction.
Their top pen of three lambs weighed 46kg, 46kg and 46.5kg respectively on the hoof for carcase weights of 26kg, 24.4kg and 24.6kg to dress out at 54.2 per cent.
The sale saw a total of 141 lamb carcases auctioned for an average of $110 per carcase.
* A full 2010 Smoke Free Perth Royal Show coverage starts on page 20 in section two of this week's Farm Weekly.
