Beef from the Dairy Herd at Dairy Event
22/08/05

Beef from the Dairy Herd is a first time exhibition to be featured at the Dairy Event, Europe's premier two day business to business exhibition for all those with a commitment to dairying to be staged at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 September by its organisers, the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers.

Farmers will be able to find out more about how they can create useful income streams from beef from their dairy herds, from the exhibition's sponsors, EBLEX who will be taking a three pronged approach.

Firstly, EBLEX will be discussing how research into the French export market has found that its major buyers are keen to have the opportunity to purchase top quality UK hindquarter cow beef for the first time in 10 years. Since these older cows were last in the market that market has changed. EBLEX will demonstrate the appropriate methods for finishing cows, the specifications that processors require and the uses to which such mature beef can be most profitably put including new butchery techniques for cow beef carcases.

The second major feature in the exhibition will focus on Holstein bull finishing including the crucial elements of calf rearing, nutrition planning, selection for slaughter and net margin budgeting. Finally, EBLEX will demonstrate the financial benefit from using terminal sires with high Estimated Breeding Values over dairy cows to help producers achieve that delicate balance between calving ease and growth potential.

In addition, the major beef breed societies, and health and nutrition companies will be featured within the exhibition along with leading processors and their buyers with whom visitors will have the chance to discuss the market place. "We believe this new and very timely exhibition will be important to all dairy farmers visiting the event," says RABDF's chief executive, Nick Everington. "Our dairy herd currently supplies approximately 50% of the UK's total beef production which amounts to just over 700,000 tonnes, or 67% self sufficiency, with imports supplying the balance of 350,000 tonnes. However, with CAP Reform, the ending of the Over Thirty Month Scheme and the hoped for relaxations in the Date Based Export Scheme, new challenges and opportunities will be presented to dairy farmers to help the industry increase production, reduce imports and capture a bigger share of the home market."