North Islander set to defend title

MEDIA RELEASE

Friday 27 July 2012

For immediate release

North Islander set to defend title

Last year’s winner of the Canterbury A&P Association Mint Lamb Competition, Bill Feetham of Hastings, is preparing his entries for 2012 with the opening of this year’s competition launched this month.

Farmers from throughout New Zealand are invited to showcase their quality lamb and compete in the 2012 Mint Lamb Competition held in conjunction with the country’s largest Agricultural and Pastoral Show, the Canterbury A&P Show.

The competition, now in its sixth year, is open to all breeds and celebrates the quality and variety of lamb available in New Zealand with a focus on increasing consumption of one of the country’s largest export earners.

Lambs must be current new season, born after 1 July 2012. They will be judged on the hook at an Alliance plant for Best Overall Yield. The Top Best Overall Yield from each class (dual purpose, dual purpose/cross terminal, composite/crossbred cross terminal and terminal) from the North Island and the South Island and then the next ten highest yielding lambs overall will be the semi-finalists. The semi-finalists will be Tender Tested at Lincoln University and then Taste Tested at the Canterbury A&P Show on Wednesday 14 November 2012.

“The competition is an ideal performance indicator and opportunity for farmers from throughout the country to prove they are the best of the best. Plus with over $4000 in cash and prizes to be won, it certainly is a great incentive to enter”, commented Tom Burrows, Competition Convenor and Chairman of the Canterbury A&P Association Sheep Committee.

Bill won the 2011 Mint Lamb Competition with a Romney X lamb, receiving a $1000 cash prize plus $700 Zolvix product voucher. It was his third year entering the competition and his two entries, which he spent considerable time selecting, placed first and seventh.

“I am constantly asked to comment on my success in the Mint Lamb Competition, there has been a lot of interest from the Hawkes Bay farming fraternity. Since the win, I have looked and pondered long and hard about changing the breed to modern genetics but have decided to stick with the tried and proven. Hawkes Bay can be a difficult place to farm when the weather can be a major factor in your farming practice” commented Feetham.

There is no entry fee for the competition; proceeds from the gift lambs will be credited to the Canterbury A&P Association to support the development of the Canterbury A&P Show. This year’s 150th Canterbury A&P Show will be held Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 November at Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch. It is the largest A&P Show in the country attracting 100,000 people, close to 7000 livestock and feature competition entries and 600 trade exhibitors.

The Mint Lamb Competition is proudly supported by Hazlett Rural Limited, Novartis, Alliance Group, Allflex and Rural News.

-ENDS-

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