Native breeds get a boost from supermarket sales
Supermarkets using traditional native beef breeds to get an edge in the market place are helping increase the calf registration figures for Aberdeen Angus, Beef Shorthorn and Hereford cattle, according to red meat market analyst Stuart Ashworth.
“The number of native breed registrations has increased by 3 per cent and they accounted for 28 per cent of all registrations in the first four months of this year compared to 27 per cent in the same period last year,” ,” said Ashworth who heads up Quality Meat Scotland’s economic services division. “Native beef breeds also made up 28 per cent of all GB registrations, up from 26.5 per cent last year”
“While this movement in breeds reflects the interest among major retailers in using native breeds as a point of difference in their beef offer, it may also reflect changing attitudes among suckler beef producers towards the traits they are looking for in a hill and upland forage based suckler herd.”
The increase in interest in native breeds comes against a drop of 1 per cent in the total number of calf registrations in GB in the first four months of this year.
This decline continues a drop in calf registrations over the past 30 months causing Ashworth to comment that the potential of any increase in the number of cattle reaching GB abattoirs remained “a distant prospect”.
However he qualified his comment by saying: “The degree of decline in slaughter numbers may be mitigated by the management of prime heifers. Over the past year there has been growth in the number of beef-sired heifers coming from the dairy herd.
“Dairy farmers have rebalanced their use of beef semen alongside the growing use of sexed semen for the breeding of dairy replacements or have simply reduced the number of dairy replacements needed.
“While these extra beefsired heifers could be used to expand the beef herd, it is equally likely that more beef heifers will arrive at abattoirs.”
Overall, prime beef supplies to abattoirs has tightened but this has been eased by an increased supply of cows resulting in little change in overall beef production in the UK over the past three months.
The tighter supply of prime cattle has not resulted in a big lift in price, as prime cattle are only trading 1 per cent higher on the year. Imports of fresh beef have also reduced slightly.
“Nevertheless, with Scottish, UK and European beef production in the remainder of 2018 and into 2019 expected to remain below year -earlier levels, producer prices are likely to remain firm,” said Ashworth.
Meanwhile in Ireland producer prices for beef have slipped back, causing the Irish Farmers Association to accuse the meat processors of benefitting from the drought which is affecting the country.