The following meat quality parameters were recorded: pH1, pH24, meat conductivity, meat colour, drip loss and intramuscular fat content (IMT). The average pH1 determined in the carcasses graded S and R was 6.01 plus minus 0.165 and 6.43 plus minus 0.063.The proportion of IMT slightly increased as the lean meat content decreased. The difference between the two extreme grades was 0.61 percent points.