Material flows in livestock product utilisation

Table 2.2.6a: Average weight of remaining carcase material

Average weight per beast kg	Cattle		Sheep		Pigs
Lean	192.54		11.70		41.08
Bone and waste	37.03		3.58		4.75
Subcutaneous fat	24.39		2.44		11.72
Intermuscular fat	41.37		2.23		3.53
Cod fat	4.49
Skin					4.83
Sub total		299.82		19.95		65.91
Vertebral column	18.00
Spinal cord	0.18		0.05			0.11
Sub total		18.18		0.05
Total		318.00		20.00		66.02

The amount of additional waste material removed from the carcases directly entering the human food chain after slaughter, can be estimated using the average weights of the carcases above:

Cattle under 24 months 317.82 (299.82 + 18.0)

Cattle over 24 months 299.82

Clean sheep and lambs 20.00

Ewes and rams 19.95 (20 – 0.05)

Pigs 66.02
Adjusted by the typical proportion of bone fat and trim that is removed at the cutting plant, catering or retail butchery level in the supply chain before the meat is sold to consumers. MLC standard figures for retail presentations estimate that this constitutes for beef 31% of the carcase weight, for lamb 20% and for pork 22.5%.
These figures assume that a great deal of fat and some bone is left on cuts sold to consumers (e.g., bone in cuts of lamb and pork, but all beef is assumed as boneless – since 2005 a small proportion of such as ribs of beef have been sold once again as bone in, but the proportion is unknown). After cooking and eating, some of this will constitute waste at the consumer level (but this study has not attempted to estimate the amount).
Table 2.2.6b: Estimated Additional Waste from Carcase at Source or after Cutting

	1). Number 000	2) Vertebral column &/ spinal cord	Tonnes (1 x 2)	3) Remaining carcase weight	4) Bone fat & trim kg/ beast	Tonnes (1 x 4)
Cattle – under 24 months	1,437	0.18	259	317.82	98.52	141,573
Cattle over 24 months	1,175 *	18.18	21,362	299.82	80.52 +	94,611
Clean sheep and lambs	14,246			20.00	4.00	56,984
Ewes and rams	2,245	0.05	112	19.95	3.99	8,958
Pigs	8,746			66.02	14.85 **	129,878
Total			21,733			432,004

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