
MSA heifers being prepared for processing at Oakey Beef on the Darling Downs. These would qualify as ‘flatbacks’ in most people’s books
THE descriptive term, ‘flatback’ has crept into livestock trading lingo over the past decade or so, and is now widely used in feeder cattle trading circles.
Premiums are often attached in pricing – currently around 10c/kg liveweight less than Angus feeders, but considerably more than higher indicus cattle. The term is widely used in Beef Central’s fortnightly feeder steer market updates.
But as a regular Beef Central reader recently asked: What does the term ‘flatback’ actually mean?
The question prompted us to ask around cattle trading and grainfeeding circles to seek some clarification. What immediately became apparent was that ‘flatbacks’ means different things to different people, and is interpreted differently from region to region – and even within a region.
The term is principally used to describe cattle of moderate Bos Indicus content, which will be impacted less by hump height measurements used under MSA grading, for example. In essence it is a proxy for an animal with prospects of a higher level of meat quality when selecting feeders.
The earliest reference we could find to ‘flatbacks’ in Beef Central’s content database was a single reference in 2011, but the term was used only very sparingly until around 2016, our records show.
Beef Central’s regular markets columnist Chris Howie says the term arose to delineate between southern British-bred feeders and northern feeders “with some content, but no hump.”
It’s more than just the hump height being assessed, but flatback is just the name they get
We asked the nation’s second largest lotfeeder, Mort & Co, how it defined ‘flatback’ in its procurement business. We were told that a 50pc Indicus limit is used, but that is overlaid with subjective buyer considerations based around ear-length, head shape and hump-height on the live animal (others also added coat and pizzle).
“It’s more than just the hump height being assessed, but flatback is just the name they get,” another large multi-site lotfeeder said.
He actually asked to change his definition part way through our discussion on the topic of ‘flatbacks.’ He originally said his company defined the term as ‘less than 50pc’ indicus, but later asked to change that to ‘50pc or less.’ His company’s published feeder steer direct consignment grid clearly uses the term, ‘flatback,’ in its descriptions.
Another large Queensland feedlot operator/export processor said disputes sometimes arose with feeder cattle suppliers over whether a certain line of cattle were indeed ‘flatbacks’ or not.
“There is no doubt there is confusion,” he said. “People around Rockhampton, for example, have a different view than people around Tamworth or Gunnedah.”
“The problem is, two different 50pc indicus content feeder steers can present with very different visual hump heights,” he said. “It’s subjective. A lot of buyers will overlay other considerations on top of their genetic background.”
“It’s more a phenotypic assessment, not a genetic assessment. We look at the animal (or group of animals) before making a call on it.”
A large southern NSW feedlot operator was more severe, saying his business saw flatbacks as “Santa cross or less,” effectively representing just three-sixteenths Indicus content.
Woolworths Greenstock does not use terms like ‘flatback’ in its buying requirements, but has ‘preferences’ for certain breed types regards indicus content, relying mostly on the competency of its buyers to screen cattle to maintain a certain type. At one point in the past, Woolworths applied a limit of three-eighths indicus (ie Santa) or lower on its feeder intake.
One of Australia’s most prominent Droughtmaster bull breeders based near Rockhampton uses the marketing slogan, “Tropically Adapted Flatbacks” to promote its business.
National Livestock Trading Language
So what does the industry say about commonly-used terms like flatback?
The AusMeat National Livestock Language offers a set of guidelines for the standardised terms applied as descriptors of live cattle.
The Livestock Language Guidelines were launched in 2023 after recommendations provided in the 2017 Beef Language Review White Paper. The document says the guidelines are intended to “foster the consistent application of descriptors of bovine livestock.”
The guidelines contain no reference to the term ‘flatback’ whatsoever, despite its common use across industry. Indeed, the only related breed content term in the document is ‘crossbred’, described as the progeny of two different breeds.
“A uniform and harmonised language provides the opportunity for improved communication up and down the value chain, providing greater clarity of market signals, supporting better decision making and accelerating efficiency gains,” the Guidelines claim.
Meat & Livestock Australia’s adoption and commercial services manager Sarah Strachan was responsible for the development of the AusMeat Livestock Trading Language Guidelines.
She agreed that ‘flatback’ was an example where there was no clear definition for everyone in the supply chain.
“When used around MSA-graded cattle, the word tries to capture the impact of hump height on eating quality, under the MSA eating quality index,” she said.
She agreed that the word ‘crossbred’ was also somewhat general, as it could also refer to a 100pc Bos Taurus animal (Angus x Shorthorn, or Charolais x Hereford for example), and not necessarily an indication of indicus content. In Central Queensland, ‘crossbred’ clearly refers to an Indicus cross animal (typically Brahman, Droughtmaster or Santa based).
Asked whether there was an argument for the development of some more formalised definition of what constitutes a flatback animal, she said potentially there was – especially if it could be shown that it was a term being used in livestock trading.
Ms Strachan pointed out that provisions existed for stakeholders to raise issues around such descriptions.
“The Livestock Language is intended to be a living document,” she said.
“It has not been revised since it was released, but we had in mind a return to it every three years or so, to see if it needed any amendments, based on any feedback received.”
A mechanism exists through the AusMeat Language and Standards Committee to address such issues, if the industry thought it necessary, Ms Strachan said.
The Australian Meat Industry Language and Standards Committee is the custodian of the National Livestock Language Guidelines, on behalf on the meat and livestock industry.
Up to the launch of the Livestock Language guidelines in 2023, the committee focussed principally on meat trading language and terminology, surrounding carcase specification, cuts etc. The only real exception to that is animal raising claims, used in beef and lamb brand programs such as Certified Grassfed.
However the committee (comprising representatives from the grassfed and grainfed streams, processors, retailers and others) is also equipped to act on livestock trading language matters, as required.
Click here to view a copy of the National Livestock Language Guidelines
Agents tend to develop their own language. All bulls seem to be MICKEYs in the sale yard. LARD instead of fat cover! Lack of QUALITY appears to be poor condition. Just my thoughts.
In my opinion flat back should mean exactly what it says, as in zero indicus content. A pure european breed.
If the term is going to be used in marketing it has to be exactly what it says, if you say it is flat back it means it is 100% bos taurus.
Jon just a comment. Flat Back term was in use at AMH in 2000’s. I would probably attribute it to Ross Keane in our AMH feedlot business. You would have to ask Ross for clarification but in my memory it referred to Santa or Droughtmaster lines with Shorthorn content which tended to produce better marbling & meat texture attributes. This was in the days before MSA and was predominantly based on grading performance. Hope this provides a little more context.
Regards John