Beef grades. Not happy

icanshootwell · Nov 15, 2018

Just had cattle grades back, sent 5 heifers to ABP, around 18 to 22 months, weened of cows in Spring and been on home mix ration ever since,(wheat, oats mix plus silage) they were all graded R 5,s and one U5. How can they have become so fat in a few months, the payment is 320 to 325 p/kg. Spoke to them on the phone, and they were adamant they were over fat, bull sh't they are i said, how can they be to fat in just a few months feeding.

Same cattle sold last year all done the same way with r 3 grade.
Better off selling in the stores going forward, these 5 heifers are 500 to 600 pounds short, and i can,t do sfa about it.

Be interesting to know if anybody else are getting the same treatment.

Wooly · Nov 15, 2018

Can’t do anything about it once they are dead. Comes down to trust and it looks like you may have been scammed !

At least you can take them home from market when the price is poor !

Northeastfarmer · Nov 15, 2018

You sent them to abp you say...

mark perego · Nov 15, 2018

icanshootwell said:
Just had cattle grades back, sent 5 heifers to ABP, around 18 to 22 months, weened of cows in July and been on home mix ration ever since,(wheat, oats mix plus silage) they were all graded R 5,s and one U5. How can they have become so fat in a few months, the payment is 320 to 325 p/kg. Spoke to them on the phone, and they were adamant they were over fat, bull sh't they are i said, how can they be to fat in just 3 to 4 months feeding.

Same cattle sold last year all done the same way with r 3 grade.
Better off selling in the stores going forward, these 5 heifers are 500 to 600 pounds short, and i can,t do sfa about it. Be interesting to know if anybody else are getting the same treatment.

tell em you want em back

Northeastfarmer · Nov 15, 2018

What breeding are they? Can soon boil a heifer in 3-4 months ad lib

An Gof · Nov 15, 2018

icanshootwell said:
Just had cattle grades back, sent 5 heifers to ABP, around 18 to 22 months, weened of cows in July and been on home mix ration ever since,(wheat, oats mix plus silage) they were all graded R 5,s and one U5. How can they have become so fat in a few months, the payment is 320 to 325 p/kg. Spoke to them on the phone, and they were adamant they were over fat, bull sh't they are i said, how can they be to fat in just 3 to 4 months feeding.

Same cattle sold last year all done the same way with r 3 grade.
Better off selling in the stores going forward, these 5 heifers are 500 to 600 pounds short, and i can,t do sfa about it. Be interesting to know if anybody else are getting the same treatment.

This is a major fault with grading system, lack of recourse.
You can complain and get an MLC super grader in to regrade them if one is available in time.
Phone abattoir and at you want them regraded by MLC super grader so that they are “on notice” with complaint. If you are an NFU member they can help give you details of who to contact. Drop me a PM if you need a contact number.
However, when I had a problem the cattle were “conveniently” cut before I could have them regraded despite putting ABBA tour on notice of complaint.
The problem is that the MLC super grader is, in public at least, likely to side with their staff to save face and then have a quiet word if grading not quite to spec. The ultimate sanction of checks is through RPA.
It is a disfunctional system with no real protection of the seller.

Wooly · Nov 15, 2018

mark perego said:
tell em you want em back

Great call...... except the tags are now missing and you won’t get yours back, unless you spend money on DNA testing

icanshootwell · Nov 15, 2018

Northeastfarmer said:
What breeding are they? Can soon boil a heifer in 3-4 months ad lib

lim x they wern,t on ad lib, but fed twice daily been doing the same ration for 30 years, never had a problem before.

Northeastfarmer · Nov 15, 2018

icanshootwell said:
lim x they wern,t on ad lib, but fed twice daily been doing the same ration for 30 years, never had a problem before.

Looks like it was just your turn

Chum · Nov 15, 2018

Were they graded manually or automatically by camera? I always find mine grade leaner by camera than I think they are. Don’t they save the images in case there is a problem like this to look back over again? Langport mine go.

goodevans · Nov 15, 2018

How can you manage to keep them on the cows to an average of 15 mths or have I misunderstood something

Raynard · Nov 15, 2018

Pretty sure our local ABP have photos of each carcass on file? Maybe worth asking to see?

icanshootwell · Nov 15, 2018

goodevans said:
How can you manage to keep them on the cows to an average of 15 mths or have I misunderstood something

Yes i did edit that, it was spring when weaned, we calf in 2 blocks.

livestock 1 · Nov 15, 2018

ABP dropped the price on 240 lambs from here sent one day graded by their agent -15 ppk dropped after lorry door was closed

They won even after an ear bending then subsequent promises from them
Don’t know if this is any conciliation
This ALWAYS happens when there’s a glut or lw is less or something isn’t suiting them

Cowcorn · Nov 15, 2018

icanshootwell said:
Just had cattle grades back, sent 5 heifers to ABP, around 18 to 22 months, weened of cows in Spring and been on home mix ration ever since,(wheat, oats mix plus silage) they were all graded R 5,s and one U5. How can they have become so fat in a few months, the payment is 320 to 325 p/kg. Spoke to them on the phone, and they were adamant they were over fat, bull sh't they are i said, how can they be to fat in just a few months feeding.

Same cattle sold last year all done the same way with r 3 grade.
Better off selling in the stores going forward, these 5 heifers are 500 to 600 pounds short, and i can,t do sfa about it. Be interesting to know if anybody else are getting the same treatment.

ABP isint that part of larry goodmans empire ?
Meat factories and sharp practice seem to go hand in hand.

organicguy · Nov 15, 2018

Cowcorn said:
ABP isint that part of larry goodmans empire ?
Meat factories and sharp practice seem to go hand in hand.

Where there's hooks there's crooks

livestock 1 · Nov 15, 2018

organicguy said:
Where there's hooks there's crooks

There was a farmer/slaughterhouse owner in Cornwall had a saying ‘when they’re alive they’re as good as gold but when they’re dead they’ve got to be sold’ often thought about that many times

pine_guy · Nov 16, 2018

icanshootwell said:
Just had cattle grades back, sent 5 heifers to ABP, around 18 to 22 months, weened of cows in Spring and been on home mix ration ever since,(wheat, oats mix plus silage) they were all graded R 5,s and one U5. How can they have become so fat in a few months, the payment is 320 to 325 p/kg. Spoke to them on the phone, and they were adamant they were over fat, bull sh't they are i said, how can they be to fat in just a few months feeding.

Same cattle sold last year all done the same way with r 3 grade.
Better off selling in the stores going forward, these 5 heifers are 500 to 600 pounds short, and i can,t do sfa about it. Be interesting to know if anybody else are getting the same treatment.

What did you grade them as live. Always weigh and grade my cattle before I send them. My last batch of cattle didn’t grade where I thought they should (not abp) but not as extreme as you are saying. Made sure the agent was out and looked at the next batch to go next week.

Interesting comment from an ABP agent this week that he thinks white fat grades leaner than yellow fat (colour taint from forage fed) on the camera.

icanshootwell · Nov 16, 2018

pine_guy said:
What did you grade them as live. Always weigh and grade my cattle before I send them. My last batch of cattle didn’t grade where I thought they should (not abp) but not as extreme as you are saying. Made sure the agent was out and looked at the next batch to go next week.

Interesting comment from an ABP agent this week that he thinks white fat grades leaner than yellow fat (colour taint from forage fed) on the camera.

I will post a picture up later of a animal going fat next week, so you can tell me, 2 of the heifers i sold were well done and a r 4l or u 4l would of been the grade i would expect, put it this way i have sent fatter heifers than this in the past and never been in the 5,s before.

icanshootwell · Nov 16, 2018

This is a home bred animal of mine what would this be graded at.

Beef grades. Not happy

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