UK farmers worried about cattle prices
Beef products have led the 13% annual in Irish exports of food and drink to the UK, which now takes 40% of our food and drink exports.
Sources in the British beef industry now fear for their future, , as imports of beef approach record levels.
“If we reduce production further we will lose control of prices,” said Robert Forster, chief executive of the National Beef Association.
“We have to face the fact that if we wish to maintain consumption, then imports will be a factor.”
“The real threat is if producers reduce output much further, then there is a danger of losing control of our market, very much along the lines of what has happened in the pig industry”.
Mr Forster told The Scotsman newspaper: “There has been a sharp decline in production over the last two years, which of course is partly due to foot-and-mouth.”
The UK’s imports of beef have risen 10% from 2001, but are up a massive 39% from 2000.
Neil Stoddart, president of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, said: “We are seeing an alarming decline in production and there is a real danger of losing critical mass, especially in Scotland where we are reliant on the suckler herd”.
“We need a kill of 500,000 cattle in Scotland. This year, it is going to be below 450,000 head.”
Ireland is the leading source of UK beef imports, with 75,553 tonnes in the first eight months of this year.
Plentiful supply of cattle in Ireland and low prices relative to UK values make Irish beef highly attractive for UK supermarket buyers, but for the catering trade.
From mainland Europe, the UK took 26,000 tonnes in the first eight months of this year, 34,000 tonnes from South America (nearly a threefold increase), and 3,500 tonnes from Australia.
