Continental buyers will be back in the market for Aberdeen-Angus beef from the UK when export markets re-open early in 2006.

That was the encouraging message for Aberdeen-Angus breeders and commercial beef producers at an Aberdeen Beef Club seminar at the Scottish Winter Fair.

photo courtesy www.livestock-sales.co.uk

MLC export manager, Jean-Pierre Garnier, said Aberdeen-Angus was the best known breed in the world and research had indicated that more than 50% of consumers in Spain, Italy, England, Scotland and France considered breed as "important" or "very important".

"Consumers love beef but are unsure about eating quality," said Mr Garnier. "They refer to breed as a guarantee they are able to visualise."

But he warned that competition will be fierce with the launch of several breed-based marketing schemes for beef on the Continent over the past 10 years and increased imports of Aberdeen-Angus beef from Argentina and other countries, who had moved in to fill the gap left by the ban on UK exports.

He advised exporters to highlight country of origin in their marketing plans to enable consumers to make the geographical association with the home of the breed.

The English promotional body, EBLEX, had introduced the Aberdeen-Angus St George brand and five wholesalers were already promoting Aberdeen-Angus beef in Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands under the St George label. Promotions in three more countries were planned.

Mr Garnier said he was confident Aberdeen-Angus from the UK could could win back markets in Europe by ensuring high quality and consistency, backed by branding and strong marketing investment.

"Early signs are good that both beef and genetics from the Aberdeen-Angus breed will again find high value markets in Europe and further afield," he said.

Leading Italian meat importer, Mr Giacinto Fusetti, said Aberdeen-Angus beef from the UK was still the first choice for the premium end of the beef market in Italy.

Demand would come from the high-quality catering sector and supermarkets who were increasingly marketing beef on a breed basis.

"It will be niche market initially but consumers remember the quality of the Aberdeen-Angus beef from the UK and are prepared to pay a premium for it," he said. "Provided the quality and consistency is right, consumers will reward you."

He appealed for an end to political "dithering" to allow British beef unfettered access to European markets as soon as possible.

Beef consumption throughout the EU had fallen but he was confident the reintroduction of quality Aberdeen-Angus beef from the UK would help reverse the trend.

New Zealand beef producer, Peter Matthews, said the Aberdeen-Angus breed had been the saviour of his farming enterprise following the sudden withdrawal of subsidies in 1984.

It had forced farmers to become more market focused and cost conscious in order to survive and encouraged the meat trade to adopt new technology to add value by cutting carcases into more attractive consumer cuts.

"The industry has restructured and the focus is on customer service and responding to market demand changes," said Mr Matthews.

Since 1990, agriculture - far from declining as predicted - had grown by 98% while the rest of the economy had grown by only 51%.

"Rather than agriculture becoming less important following deregulation, it grew at a faster rate than the rest of them economy in terms of net added value," he said.

The Aberdeen-Angus breed was on the crest of the wave because of the strong demand from feedlots for Aberdeen-Angus cattle to finish for the both home and export markets.

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