Did you know the definition of a lamb is changing? From 1 July 2019 the new definition comes into place. If you’re unsure of what it means here are some facts from Sheep Producers Australia.
The definition of a lamb is changing in Australia. The current definition of a lamb is ‘A female, castrate or entire male that has 0 permanent incisor teeth’. The new definition is ‘an ovine animal that: (a) is under 12 months of age; or (b) does not have any permanent incisor teeth in wear.’ This means a lamb is able to cut one or both of its permanent central incisor teeth, as long as they are not in wear.
Why is the change occurring? The current definition gives producers no warning light about when a lamb stops being
a lamb – the moment a permanent incisor erupts, the lamb is downgraded to hogget. The new definition gives producers greater certainty and a definitive signal to make moves to market their lambs. Producers will have generally less than a month from the time of eruption to when permanent incisors are in wear. The new definition is
also consistent with New Zealand’s definition – Australia’s biggest lamb competitor in export markets.
Research has shown that a lamb under the new definition was as acceptable to consumers as lamb under the current definition.
For more information head to www.sheepproducers.com.au.