ENGLISH prime beef carcase weights have increased by an average of more than 2kg a year over the past 12 years.

The English Beef and Lamb Executive says it is due to sustained improvements in terminal sire growth rates, which have significantly improved the country's underlying beef production efficiency.

The increased growth potential is already having a positive effect on English beef production by allowing more heifers to meet the target 280-360kg carcase range more easily.

Once the marketing distortions of Beef Special Premium have been removed, the advantages of the improvement should increasingly be realised in faster steer finishing, improving both production efficiency and carcase quality.

The Eblex analyses show prime beef carcase weights increasing by fully 25kg/head from an average of 295kg in 1990 to 320kg in 2002. "Increasing levels of Holstein genetics in the national herd clearly bear some responsibility for the 33kg/head increase in average bull carcases to 324kg recorded over the same period," said Duncan Pullar, MLC technical manager.

"The fact that the average weight of heifer carcases - the overwhelming majority of which come from the beef herd and none of which qualify for BSP - increased by 28kg/head to 288 kg, however, confirms substantial real beefing improvements."

Mr Pullar said that, while improved feeding could have played a part in these gains, parallel pedigree beef analyses pinpoint impressive increases in the growth potential of bulls from all but one of the seven major terminal sire breeds as the most important influence.

Recorded Aberdeen Angus bulls born in 2002, for instance, grew at 1.32kg/day to reach an average 400-day weight of 564 kg; fully 0.2kg/day faster than equivalent bulls born in 1990. Simmental bulls increased their daily gains to 400 days by 0.16kg/day over the same period; Limousins by 0.11kg/day, Charolais by 0.1kg/day, and Herefords and Blonde d'Aquitaines by 0.07kg/day.