Quality beef pays dividends

Farm assured beef cattle fetched on average over nine pence per kilogram more at market than non-assured stock last year, a new study by the organisation for the English beef and sheep industry shows.

The research also reveals that lambs returned between three pence and five pence per kilogram more if they were part of a farm assurance scheme than those animals that were not.

The highest difference between assured and non-assured stock was among over 30-month steers, at 12.5 pence per kilogram, with almost 79 per cent of cattle sold in England in 2012 being farm assured.

Liz Ford, regional project manager for EBLEX, said: “The data shows that there are consistently higher prices which farmers can realise by ensuring the beef cattle and sheep they raise for sale is farm assured.

“Farm assured stock have more markets open to them as they can be sold into schemes like Red Tractor or Quality Standard Mark. This is also becoming increasingly important for those who want to sell into export markets.

“The majority of cattle and sheep raised in England are farm assured: 79 per cent for cattle and 67 per cent of sheep. Producers clearly see the benefits and in the wake of the horse meat scandal.

“We may see those figures rise a little over the coming year.”

There is significant regional variation in the figures. For instance, in the South West, there is an 18.3 pence per kilogram premium for assured young bulls sold at auction market, compared to 5.97 pence per kilogram in the North.

Looking at prime steers, the reverse is true with the northern region seeing a 10.77 pence per kilogram premium over non-assured stock, compared to 9.58 pence per kilogram in the South West.

Philippa Wiltshire, Red Tractor assurance sector manager, said the figures clearly show there are benefits to being farm assured.

The Red Tractor logo indicates to shoppers that a product can be traced back to a British farm.

She said: “Farmers only need to sell three finished cattle, for instance, to cover the costs of joining the scheme and they get additional benefits also, such as fewer government inspections in some areas.”