By Estelle Sinkins
A NEW South African record was set for the price of beef on Wednesday evening at the Royal Agricultural Show.
The champion beef carcass — a Bovelder cross, owned by Margental Reds and prepared for the Royal by students at the University of KwaZuluNatal — was sold to the Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga for R150/kg. The current ruling price a farmer gets for beef is R32,50/kg.
The previous record of R110/kg was also set during the annual auction at the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg. The champion carcass recorded a score of 97,24% from the judges. The beef section also drew strong sales competition for the reserve champion carcasses and the champion groups — all of which were prepared for the Royal by students at Owen Sithole Agricultural College.
The first reserve champion, a Brahman cross Simmentaler, owned by J. Labuschagne and Sons, was sold for R90/kg to Rattan’s Butchery; while the second reserve, a Bonsmara, owned by Jan Meyer, went for R40/kg. The champion group of Brahman cross Simmentalers, owned by J. Labuschagne and Sons and the reserve champion group, Bonsmaras, owned by Meyer, both sold for R35/kg.
Competition for the champion lamb carcass, an Ile de France, owned by Regina Harmse of the RCH Ile de France stud in Ermelo, proved to be especially fierce with the hammer finally going down at R1 100/kg. To put the auction price in perspective, the current ruling price for lamb is R52/kg.
The figure is one of the highest ever achieved at the Royal, which still holds the world record of R3 000/kg for lamb, set in 2007. The champion carcass — which scored 98,32% and was named the Champion European Genetics entry at the 2015 Royal Show — was sold to Willowton Meats. Gert Lötter’s White Dorper lambs took the prizes for the first reserve champion carcass, champion group, first reserve champion group and the second reserve champion group.
Rattan’s Butchery paid R500/kg for the first reserve champion and R80/kg for the champion group. The second reserve champion carcass, a White Dorper owned by Lötter’s son, Bennie, was sold to Kennedy Meat Market for R200/kg; and The Oyster Box paid R175/kg for the first reserve champion carcass European Genetics. The lowest price achieved in the lamb competition was R58/kg.
In the pork auction, a Topig, owned by Butt Farming, was named the champion carcass on show, scoring 97,31% from the judges. Butt Farming also owned the first reserve champion, with the prize for the second reserve champion going to the Joseph Baynes Estate. At auction the champion sold for R72/kg to The Oyster Box, more than triple the ruling price for pork of R22,20/kg.
The Royal Show carcass auction is considered to be a highlight on the farming calendar and has the backing of the Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) and Samic (the South African Meat Industry Company). Addressing the breeders, students and buyers, Tim Ralfe of the RPO, said: “This is a very prestigious event
and I want to say well done to the staff of the Royal Show for hosting the quality show that they do.”
Terry Strachan, chief executive of the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS), said: “We are very proud to have an unbroken international record in lamb and unbroken national records in lamb, pork and beef.” All the beef and lamb animals were Halaal slaughtered.
Issue date: 5 June 2015
