Balancing efficiency of production and product quality with new tools - the example of lamb

The Australian lamb industry has been transformed since the late 1980s through a coordinated combination of RD&E, marketing, and implementation of new technologies, particularly around genetic improvement. On-farm, the changes have focussed on developing lambs that will grow to heavier weights without becoming over-fat. Throughout the transformation, the risk of reducing fatness too much has been understood, but industry has had limited tools with which to manage this risk. Over the last 7 years, this gap has been addressed, again by a combination of R&D and implementation, this time focussed on development of genomic tools that allow direct simultaneous improvement of lean meat yield and traits associated with eating quality. This paper outlines those tools, and explores possible lessons for R&D and industry from the experience over the last 30 years.