Significant rise in beef supplies

Britain: Beef supplies in Britain are showing a significant increase for the year to date as producers’ earlier marketing of cattle is predicted to increase final quarter supplies by 50,000 head and reduce imports by 10%.

Autumn slaughterings are substantially higher than last year, with throughput for August showing an increase of 7% in bullocks, while heifer supplies were 8% higher than in August 2003.

In addition to the fact that herd numbers have been steadily increasing in the aftermath of foot and mouth, Bord Bia says there is also evidence that farmers are marketing cattle earlier than usual to benefit from higher prices, before the expected increase in supplies during the final months of the year as producers move stock to benefit from the slaughter premia before the ending of the scheme on December 31 2004.