The French Are Coming! - English Beef Exports
24/10/05

WITH hopes high for a return to normal exports, the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) has stepped up efforts to tee-up potential markets.

A distinguished party of leading French agri-food journalists were taken on a flying visit to the South West, as part of a programme being run by Remi Fourrier, Manager Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) France.

English quality beef production was the theme for the visit, which started with presentations on the eating and keeping qualities of beef off grass by the Division of Farm Animal Science, University of Bristol and the MLC The trip was co-hosted by Southern Counties Fresh Foods (SCFF) and a visit to a beef finishing unit near Cirencester highlighted the potential improvements in beef quality and productivity achieved by using superior Angus and South Devon sires in the dairy herd, with the progeny finished through the Blade Farming South West Ltd franchise rearing and finishing systems.

In response to CAP reform, this farm has also increased beef bull use in the herd from 10 per cent to 50 per cent.

Another farm visit, to a beef suckler enterprise on a mixed arable farm near Trowbridge in Wiltshire, showed the typical response from leading suckler producers to CAP reform - to cut cow numbers from 240 to 200 and retain home-bred replacements which will be 50% Blonde, 25% Simmental and just 25% Holstein.

They will go back to Blonde bulls to produce superior suckler calves to be finished on a more intensive system. Bulls will probably be left entire and both bulls and heifers will be finished at around 16 to 18 months, compared to 22 to 24 months, at present.

EBLEX Head of Marketing Andrew Garvey explained the Quality Standard Mark over dinner and there was a practical demonstration of processing quality beef on a visit to the SCFF Langport plant the following day.

Finally, the journalists had an opportunity to sample the end product over lunch at the plant which demonstrated that both pure Holstein and Angus cross Holstein cattle can produce superior quality beef if properly reared, finished, processed and matured.

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