ANENDANGEREDSPECIES?
ANENDANGEREDSPECIES?
Is British beef becoming an endangered species? It may not seem so when you examine the dismal prices on your latest kill sheet, but experts agree domestic beef supplies will tumble over the next couple of years.
Subsidy regimes favouring more extensive production systems were conspiring to bring this about long before foot-and-mouth appeared. However, F&M, along with the plethora of movement restrictions which make normal production impossible, has hastened the fall in numbers of cattle entering finishing units.
But UK producers and industry bodies have worked hard to promote the qualities of British beef, with record levels of consumption until F&M broke. Two such producers, who produce top quality beef from traditional breeds, are featured in this first Beef Update.
However, as well as prime beef from traditional breeds, there is also an increasing market for processing beef as consumers turn to ready meals. Too large a proportion of this comes from overseas, while our dairy bred animals end up on livestock disposal schemes or in pet food factories. Articles in this update show respectable margins can be made from such animals, indicating they should not be dismissed as the poor relation in British beef production.
It is vital that we finish as many our own cattle as possible, striving to put as much British beef on the menu as we can to counteract imports. After all, the future of the UK beef industry depends on it.
CONTENTS
Industry outlook 3
Subsidy update 4
Mixed ration benefits 6
Contract finishing options 8
Beware the bulls 10
Woodchip corral answers 12
Planning for health 14
Belgian Blues for the UK 16
Keeping cows in tip top condition 18
Hereford branding benefits 20
Tackling pneumonia 23
Straights buying tips 24
Healthier beef 25
Straw dispenser guide 26
Edited by Marianne Curtis