By Jodi Sams

Tooraweenah Prime Livestock (TPL) is a marketing cooperative based in Gilgandra that sells family-grown, Australian-produced lamb and beef.

TPL sources from two states and covers an area of 68,000 square kilometres.

Recently, ten members and guests toured Thomas Food International Abattoirs at Tamworth to view their own consignments of lamb and mutton at various processing stages, from yarding to packaging.

Director Jenny Bradley said, "TPL and its members value this insight into the production supply chain. This endpoint provides valuable data for producers to make informed business decisions to improve on-farm efficiency and deliver a product preferred by consumers."

Andrew Jackson, the Northern Livestock Buyer for TFI Tamworth, stressed the importance of adhering to stock curfew periods and highlighted the necessity of presenting stock with a market crutch to avoid contamination.

Any contamination is trimmed from the carcass, meaning a loss of yield for the producer.

Buyer Andrew Jackson speaks to the touring group. IMAGE SUPPLIED

Best practice feedback for maximising yield included monitoring on-farm practices to limit the impact of injection sites on carcasses, grass seed contamination, bruising, dog bites, and faecal contamination.

The tour included assessing carcasses first-hand and correlating on-farm assessment with carcass visual assessment and yield data.

Producers also viewed the skin production process, which included the pellematic removal of the skin from the carcass, salting of the skins, and the methods used to classify and value skins; most members expressed the need for the industry to rediscover the value of skin as a versatile, natural product with many uses.

TPL members get a rundown on the skin department. IMAGE SUPPLIED.

Jackson also showcased the latest DEXA unit (dual-energy X-ray absorption entry), which uses X-ray to determine the lean meat yield on each individual carcass and identify the exact location for each main cut to maximise meat yield.

The ten members and guests who made the trip to TFI Tamworth all agreed that the insights gained from the tour would positively impact the development of a keen awareness of market specifications for TFI.

Producer Allison Martin said, "The journey through the process really transformed our understanding."

TPL has long held the principle that members should follow their product from paddock to processing whenever the opportunity arises to gain a deeper understanding of the processing phase of the supply chain.