Calf slaughter extension leaves trade shocked
Calf slaughter extension leaves trade shocked
By Tim Relf
INDUSTRY groups have hit out at the governments four-month extension to the calf slaughter scheme.
"We are shocked and dismayed," says president of the Federation of Fresh Meat Wholesalers, Richard Cracknell, of the recently-announced July 31 scheme closing date. "Dairy farmers are being rewarded for destroying a resource urgently needed by the beef industry."
Killing homebred calves will encourage more imports, already running at 200,000t a year, says Mr Cracknell. The move is a "serious blow" to the meat business, likely to cost between 1000 and 2000 jobs.
In an open letter to farm minister, Nick Brown, he writes: "Our members now firmly believe you have a secret agenda for rationalising our industry."
The FFMW is calling on the minister to scrap the scheme. Failing that payments should be cut from the March rate of £55 an animal to £25 from April.
"That would allow beef rearers and finishers the opportunity of adding value to more calves, while supplying our industry with much-needed raw material in a year or so," says Mr Cracknell.
The four-month extension will take 90,000 calves out of production, according to the National Beef Association.
Challenge imports
"More prime cattle must come on stream to challenge imports which this year are expected to total 210,000t and account for 24% of the beef eaten in the UK, says chief executive, Robert Forster. "The welcome appearance of more Holstein-bred manufacturing beef would cut the risk of opportunist importers bringing in heavily- discounted processing supplies."
But the NFU has welcomed the decision, claiming its disappearance next month would have been "disastrous" without established export outlets.
Many dairy farmers have also backed the move, among them Anthony Lee, who has a 220-head herd at Sandford, Devon. He believes the scheme puts a much needed floor in calf values and provides an outlet for poorer animals.
"We do not want a load of low-quality beef on the market in 18 months time. It will be hard to find a home for and will bring down the price of the best supplies."
But beef finishers disagree. "Dairy beef producers will have to continue to pay over the odds for their calves. That probably means inflated prices for crossbreds, too," says independent consultant David Allen.
Farmers who sell suckler calves have nothing to fear from the schemes disappearance, since the value of such stock is unrelated to scheme payments, he adds. "It is like imagining that the price of Ford Fiestas and Jaguars are related." *