The processor’s northern small stock manager, Andrew Jackson, Armidale, said seedy carcases slowed down his business’s kill rate by 220 animals an hour.

“I can’t emphasise enough how big of a problem it is,” Mr Jackson said.

“Our hourly slaughter rates drop from 620 to 400 when we have to deal with grass seeds.”

This year his plants had been plagued by spear grass.

“It’s all off the back of the big wet summer we had last year,” he said.

“Now, with the hot weather coming on soon the barley grass is going to harden up a lot quicker than we’d like.” 

He encouraged producers to take extra care with their young lambs.