DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 2156  
First  Edition  
2019 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019   
  
Live animal g rades  — Specification  
 DUS 2156 : 2019  
ii © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct appli cation  
© UNBS 2019   
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
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permission fro m UNBS.  
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The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
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Uganda  
Tel: +256 41 4 333 2 50/1/2/3  
Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 2156:2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Grading live animals  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  1 
4.2 Cattle  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  2 
4.2.1 Categories of cattle according to sex, a ge, weight and castration status  ................................ ..........  2 
4.2.2 Grades:  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  3 
5. Goat:  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  9 
5.1 Categories:  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  9 
5.2.1 Grades  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  10 
6 Sheep:  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  14 
6.1 Categories:  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  14 
6.3 Grades  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  15 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  20 
 DUS 2156 : 2019  
iv © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of th e Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comme nts. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS /TC 2, Food and Agric ulture , 
Subcommittee SC  12, Meat, poultry, eggs and their processed products . 
This first edition ( DUS 2156 :2019 ), which has been tec hnically developed   
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 2156: 2019  
 
© UNBS 2019 – All rights reserved  1 
 Live a nimal g rades — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft Uganda Standard specifies requirements and grad ing of live animals for cattle, goat and sheep for 
the purpose of slaughtering  
2 Normative references   
There are no normati ve references in this document.  
3 Terms and definitions   
No terms and definitions are listed in this document.  
ISO and IEC maintain t erminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
4 Grading live animals  
The animal shall be inspected to be alert and free from disease and defects  by the r elevant authority  thus 
have a certificate of inspection.  
Grading of live animals will be base d on the following parameter;  
Age, body Conformation, weight, sex, breed and fat cover  
4.1 The development and conformation of the body is important in grading of live animals.  But the 
characteristi cs (frame size, development, and weight ) of the different breeds shall be taken in  consideration ,  
The animal may be graded physically following table 1 below  
Table 1 - grading body conformation  
Grade 1  Excellent  Excepti onal muscle development, very rounded, wide and very thick, very 
rounded rump  
Grade 2  Very good  Rounded, wide and thick up to the shoulder, rounded rump  
Grade 3  Good  Good muscle development, well developed thick but less wide at the shoulder, 
rump is sl ightly rounded  
Grade 4  Fair Fairly developed/average muscle development – to almost flat, average 
thickness to average   
2 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Grade 5  Poor  Poor muscle development, poorly developed narrow with bones visible and flat  
 
4.1.1 Breed of the animal  
4.1.2 Determine  the sex of the animal  
4.1.3 Determine the age of the animal ; 
Aging will be done using the central front teeth.  
Animals from 1 -2Years (Grade I); 2 -4 Years (Grade II); 4 -6 Years (Grade III); Above 6 years (Grade IV)  
4.1.4 Weigh the animal or estimate the li ve weight  
4.1.5 Observe the animal from both sides, from the front and from the rear.  
4.1.6 Palpate the loin in the area of the vertebra lumbar, the brisket, the ribs and the lower part of the flank to  
detected meat and fat coverage.  
4.1.7 Decide the grade  of the animal, following your findings and the established criteria.  
4.1.8 Mark the animal with the corresponding data.  
Example:  
The animal presented for grading fulfils  the following criteria:  
a) Castrated or uncastrated with, 1or 2 pair s of permanent te eth changed, ca. 300 kg live weight  
b) Very well body development  
c) Moderate fat cover  
This animal shall be marked: B1 II  
4.2 Cattle  
4.2.1 Categories  of cattle according to sex,  age, weight  and castration status  
A = Uncastrated males with 1 pair of front teeth replaced (min. weight 300 kg)   
B = Uncastrated males with more than 2 pair of front teeth replaced  
C = Castrated males with 1 pair of front teeth replaced  
D = Castrated males with more than 2 pair of front teeth replaced  
F = Females with 1 pair of fr ont teeth replaced (min. weight 200 kg)  
G = Females with more than 2 pair of front teeth replaced  
External Anatomy of Cattle  DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  3 
 
 
4.2.2 Grades:  
The grades shall be  made according to the body conformity as in table 2  
 
Table 2 – grading on animal body conformat ion 
Grades  Profile  Description  
1 Convex  
Round  Hind leg: very well developed, hipbone not visible tail head not visible, slightly 
bumpy.  
Loin: Very well developed, backbone not visible  
Shoulder: muscle very well developed, bones not visible  
Ribs: not visib le, well covered with meat and/or fat  
Hump and brisket: very well developed  
 
  
4 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 
 
Grade 1 castrated ox side view  
 
 
 
Grade 1 castrated Ox rear view  
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Grade 1 Bull side view  
 
 
 
  
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 Grade 1 Bull rear view  
 
Grades  Profile  De scrip tion  
2 Straight  Hind leg: wel l developed, hipbone not visible tail head level  
Loin: well developed backbone not visible .  
Shoulder: well developed,  
Ribs: not visible  
Hump and brisket: full  
Brisket: moderately developed  
 
 
Grade 2 castrated Ox side view  
 DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  7 
 Grade 2 castrated Ox rear vie w 
 
Grades  Profile  Descrip tion 
3 Concave curved  
inside  Hind leg: moderately developed, hipbone visible tail head slightly  raised.  
Loin: moderately developed, backbone Slightly visible.  
Shoulder: moderately developed, blade slightly visible.  
Ribs: slightly visible  
Hump and brisket: slack skin  
 
 
Grade 3 castrated Ox side view  
 
Grade 3 castrated Ox rear view  
Grades  Profile  Descrip tion  
8 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 4 Highly  
Concave  Hind leg: poor developed, hipbone prominent tail head  
sticking out  
Loin: poor developed backbone visible  
Shoulder: poor developed, bone of shoulder visible.  
Ribs: highly visible  
hump and brisket: skin fold very small  
 
 
 
Grade 4 castrated Ox side view  
 
 
Grade 4 castrated Ox rear view  DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  9 
 4.3 Fat cover development:  
The grades are being made according to the body fat cover as in table 3  
Table 3 – grading on animal fat cover  
Fat grade  Description  
1 No fat development, some muscle visible (semi tendemosus, biceps  
femoris, quatriceps femoris), no fat could be detected by palpation,  hump development moderate.  
2 Moder ate fat cover. Fat palpable at the flank and brisket, hump well  developed  
3 well-developed  fat cover. Fat palpable at the flank, ri bs and loin, visible  at the brisket. Hump full  
 
5. Goat:  
5.1 Categories:  
A= Young male and female goats below eight months  
B= un castrated male with live weight below 20kg  
C=un castrated male with LW  (live weight)  20kg and above  
D= castrated males with LW  (live weight)  below 20kg  
E= Castrated males LW  (live weight)  20kg and above  
F = Female goats above 8months of LW  (live weig ht) below 20kg  
G= female goats above 8 months with LW  (live weight)  20kg and above  
 
(a) Uncastrated Male (Grade 1)  
(b) Castrated Male (Grade 2)  
(c) Female (Grade 3)  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
10 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 External Anatomy of Goat  
 
5.2.1 Grades  
The grades shall be made according to the body conform ity as in table 4  
Table 4 – grading on animal body conformation  
Grades  Profile  Description  
1 Round  
Convex  Hind leg: muscle very well developed, like semi tendemosus, biceps femoris,  
quatriceps femoris, tail head level  
Loin: wide and very well developed up  to the shoulder region backbone not  
visible  
Shoulder: very well developed, blade bone not visible  
Ribs: not visible  
Brisket: well developed, covered with meat and/or fat  
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Grade 1 castrated goat side view  
 
 
Grade 1 castrated goat rear view  
  
12 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Grades  Profile Description  
2 Straight  Hind leg: moderately developed, tail head level  
Loin: moderately developed, backbone slightly visible  
Shoulder: moderately developed, blade bone slightly visible  
Ribs: not visible, moderate meat cover  
Brisket: moderately develop ed 
 
 
Grade 2 uncastrated goat side view  
 
 
Grade 2 uncastrated rear view  DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  13 
  
Grades  Profile  Description  
3 Concave curved  
inside  Hind quarter: poor developed tail head slightly raised, bone visible  
Loin: poor developed, backbone visible  
Shoulder: Poor devel oped, bones visible  
Ribs: visible  
Brisket: Poor developed  
 
 
 
Grade 3 castrated goat side view  
  
14 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 
 
Grade 3 castrated goat rear view  
 
5.2.2 Fat cover  development  
The grades shall be made according to the body fat cover as in table 5  
Table 5 – grading on ani mal body fat cover  
Fat grade  Description  
1 No fat development. No fat could be seen or detected by palpation, belly not  bulged (pronounced)  
2 Moderate fat cover. Fat palpable at the flank, visible at the brisket, belly bulged  (could be due to 
overfeeding  ) 
3 Well developed fat cover. Fat palpable at the flank, ri bs and loin, visible at the  brisket. Belly full.(shall not 
be due to overfeeding )  
 
6 Sheep:  
6.1 Categories:  
A = Young lambs, male and female, age under eight month  
B = Uncastrated males, live w eight below 25 kg  
C = Uncastrated males, live weight more than 25 kg  
D = Castrated males, live weight below 25 kg  DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  15 
 E = Castrated males, live weight more than 25  
 
External Anatomy of sheep  
 
6.3 Grades  
The grades shall be made according to the body conformit y as in table 6  
Table 6 – grading on animal body conformation  
Grades  Profile  Description  
1 Round Convex  Hind leg: very well developed, tail head level  
Loin: wide and very well developed up to the shoulder region backbone  covered with 
meat and fat palpatio n) 
Shoulder: very well developed, blade bone cannot  been felt on pressing with  fingers  
Ribs: well covered with meat and/or fat (palpation)  
Brisket: full and very well developed.  
Tail : well developed fat deposit  
 
  
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Grade 1 uncastrated sheep side view  
 
Grade 1 uncastrated sheep rear view  
Grades  Profile  Description  
2 Straight  Hind leg: moderately developed, tail head level  
Loin: moderately developed, bade bone can be detected on pressing with  fingers.  
Shoulder: moderately developed, blade bone can be dete cted on pressing  with DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  17 
 fingers.  
Ribs: not visible, can be detected.  
Brisket: moderately developed  
Tail: moderately developed fat deposit  
 
 
Grade 2 uncastrated sheep side view  
  
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Grade 2 uncastrated sheep rear view  
 
6.4 Fat cover development  
The grades sha ll be made according to the body fat cover as in table 7  
Table 7 – grading on animal body fat cover  
Fat grade  Description  
1 No fat development. No fat could be seen or detected by palpation, belly not  bulged (pronounced)  
2 Moderate fat cover. Fat palpabl e at the flank, visible at the brisket, belly bulged  (could be due to 
overfeeding )  
3 Well developed fat cover. Fat palpable at the flank, rips and loin, visible at the  brisket. Belly full.(shall not 
be due to overfeeding )  
 
 DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  19 
   
20 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] ES 2789:20 12, Ethiopian standard , Grading live animals and carcass  
 DUS 2156: 2019  
© UNBS 2019 – All rights reserved  21 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Cer tification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant  Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark s cheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 2156: 2019    
 
ICS 67.120.10  
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