Tasmania fared well in Beef Australia’s 2024 national beef carcass competition in Rockhampton, Queensland.
King Island’s Robert ‘Skippy’ Skipworth took out third place, while Smithton’s William Payne and Joe Elphinstone from Lileah were second and fourth respectively.
The winner was Roger Wilkinson of Bathurst in NSW. Beef Australia is the nation’s premier cattle exhibition, attracting more than 100,000 visitors throughout its multi-day program.
The AMPC National Beef Carcass Competition, is supported by MLA Meat Standards Australia. More than 700 cattle were judged in the competition, in groups of three.
The cattle are killed on specific days in abattoirs all over Australia and assessed for eating quality, using the Meat Standards Australia Indexing system.
Mr Skipworth’s Angus property is southeast of the island in the City of Melbourne Bay.
“Passionate about grading and improving eating quality, Robert works closely on genetics to achieve a higher grading carcass, especially around marbling,” Beef Central said.
“Robert has adapted many sustainable on-farm practices, including fencing off and sheltering all creeks to protect the habitat for environmental reasons. Mr Skipworth was proud to represent the island.
“Being a producer on King Island means a lot, especially with the traceability project in place,” he said.
“It gives you a goal to work towards because people and consumers can now see the product that you create.
“At the end of the day, we want the best eating quality in the beef we produce.”