Muscle scoring beef cattle

Summary

The muscle or red meat content of a beef animal is the most valuable part of the carcase. To help identify the red meat content in cattle, a method of evaluating shape, termed ‘muscle scoring’, is used.

Muscle score describes the shape of cattle independent of the influence of fatness. Muscling is the degree of thickness or convexity of an animal relative to its frame size, after adjustments have been made for subcutaneous fat.

Muscle scores are an accepted part of live animal appraisal in Australia. The National Livestock Language includes 'muscle score', as does the National Livestock Market Reporting Service. This Primefact looks at:

• evaluating muscle
• assessing muscle score
• muscle score categories.