Due to an increasingly discerning consumer demand, the eating quality of beef has become a major focus of research effort for the beef supply chain and some pricing schemes currently reward Aberdeen Angus sired animals over animals sired by other breeds. However, the animal performance characteristics of beef cattle at a farm level must also be examined in studies on beef eating quality since they will remain an integral part of primary producer returns for the foreseeable future. As part of a wider beef eating quality project, the objective of the current study was to assess the on-farm and carcass animal performance characteristics in suckler-bred steers and heifers during the finishing phase.