In 1998, a new meat assessment for mutton was introduced in Iceland according to so-called EUROP system, in which carcasses are classified according to fat and body filling is much more accurate than before. During the slaughter season 2003 0g 2004, an assessment was made of the effectiveness of the EUROP system in Iceland, and a report has now been published on Matís with the results of that survey.
The report, called Evaluation of mutton assessment and is by Ásbjörn Jónsson and Óla Þór Hilmarsson, is a final report for the years 2003 and 2004 and it discusses results regarding the utilization of carcasses and individual pieces, as well as measurements of weight and size of all the main pieces of the carcass according to the EUROP assessment categories. In 2004, a MATRA progress report was published under the same name and by the same authors, but the project was funded by the Productivity Fund and the Executive Committee for Agricultural Contracts.
The aim of the project was, among other things, to establish a database that would contain information on the composition, utilization, usefulness and nutritional value of dilka meat according to different assessment categories of the EUROP system, but such information could facilitate price calculations at all stages of dilka meat processing.
The ice report states, among other things, that there has been a great development in the production and processing of lamb in recent years. Cultivation work has aimed to increase muscle and reduce fat in carcasses, and in processing, liposuction is greater than before. With increased meat filling comes more meat and is therefore a better selling product.
With an assessment of the amount of meat, fat and bones from whole carcasses and individual parts of it in each assessment category, it is possible to establish a powerful information and database that facilitates price calculations at all stages of the dilka meat processing process. Could this information be useful when exporting dilka meat, as it is common for foreign buyers of lamb meat to want to know the proportion of meat and fat in individual pieces and in whole carcasses in different assessment categories.
The authors of the report say that the results will be useful for education, market promotion, product development and not least, farmers will receive better information about their products. They also say that it is possible to use the results of the project as basic information in the meat industry, for example regarding the pricing of carcasses and when selecting carcasses for different processing methods.