Media release no.
Pigmeat prices could be distorted due to the inadequacy of the current carcase fatness measurement used in carcase evaluation, according to new research by Agriculture Western Australia. Processor's payment schedules are based on a grid system between the two measures. Agriculture WA research officer Megan Trezona said there had been suggestions that pigs were fatter at certain times of the year, which caused a variation in the P2 which result did not reflect the total fatness of the carcase. Ms Trezona said the lack of consistency throughout the year in the depth of subcutaneous fat, and therefore carcase quality, posed a problem for both domestic and export markets. The outcome was a decrease in fat at the P2 site - however total carcase fat was unchanged.