UQG meat judges score in tough competition

UQ Gatton`s student meat judging team backed up its good results of the last two years with another strong performance at the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging competition in Wagga Wagga on Sunday.

Elizabeth Thompson (Ashford, NSW), Amy Wynn (Gympie), Amanda Cox (Toowoomba) and Rachael Webb (Coonabarabran) finished fifth overall in the teams’ event, with Rachael going on to secure sixth place in the individual event and short-listing for the Australian team.

Emily Perkins (Brisbane), Karina Perkins (Gympie), Craig Merrit (Middlemount), Renee Hutchinson (Moura) and Kirsty Wild (Laidley) also competed.

Coach and Australian team member last year Michael Pitt (Capella) said he was very happy with the result in a competition rated by the judges as the toughest in 10 years.

“The team had to use everything they’d learnt to rank a challenging selection of beef, sheep and pork carcases and various cuts of meat using indicators such as meat colour, fat colour, eye muscle area, muscle and fat definition and market requirements,” Mr Pitt said.

“The fact they put in such a solid performance in such a tough competition makes all the hours of early morning training and the juggling of training and studies worth it.”

The team are all members of the UQ Gatton Cattleman’s Club, a group set up and operated by students for students to pursue their interest in the beef industry. The Club allows students to complement their studies with further practical experience within the industry, at shows and at competitive events such as the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging competition.

“The team and I would like to thank UQ and Colonial Agriculture Company and for their support and sponsorship,” Mr Pitt said.

“We’re also very grateful to the management and staff of Coles supermarket at Gatton, the Valley Beef Company at Grantham and the Pittsworth abattoir who kindly allowed us to use their facilities for our training.

“We now look forward to preparing a team for next year’s competition.”

For further information contact Brad Henderson, Marketing Coordinator, Faculty of NRAVS, on(07) 5460 1229 or 0409.265.587