Evaluation of marbling bonuses : have it resulted in more marbled animals and what are the farmers perception

Abstract: Marbling is visible intramuscular fat that directly or indirectly contributes to sensory attributes in meat, for example tenderness, juiciness and taste. Because of this marbling is an interesting trait when discussing meat quality. The purpose of this study were to investigate if the number of marbled animals delivered to KLS Ugglarps has increased since the introduction of bonus paying system for marbled animals. KLS Ugglarps provided data from 31 000 animals collected between August 2013 and October 2016. The dataset contained information on breed, sex, age, weight, marbling class, fat and carcass classification etc. The dataset were categorised and analysed. Result from the statistical analysis implies that the percentage of marbled animals has increased during the studied time. The aim was also to get an opinion of the farmers view on marbling and the new bonus-system. Eight farmers, selected by KLS Ugglarps, and two cattle-advisors were interviewed. The interest and knowledge in marbling varied among the farmers but all of them had an opinion on the subject. Many of the farmers thought that the marbling bonus system was a step in the right directions for higher quality Swedish beef. And