Prospects for UK beef post-Brexit?

jackrussell101

Member
Mixed Farmer
What will the prospects for British beef be now we're leaving the EU?

I assume we will be free to start selling more of it to other countries around the world whilst still exporting it into Europe under this new trade deal, which has to be positive.

But on the negative side, will the UK government now be able to import cheaper beef from South America or the USA?

Presumably with this new UK-EU trade deal and the ''rules of origin'' it encompasses, UK food manufacturers will still have to buy British beef, if they are making supermarket ready meals for example, and hope to supply/sell it into the EU, thus to avoid South American or USA beef coming into Europe through the 'back door'?

Also, surely with the whole ethos of the environment and climate change, especially here in the UK, would the UK government seriously buy beef from Brazil that has been produced by raping the Amazonian rainforest as opposed to British grass fed beef that will be close to being carbon zero or even less?
 

jackrussell101

Member
Mixed Farmer

On analysing world beef prices, it seems South American farmers are the only country that receive very low beef prices and can survive at them.

I was lucky enough to visit South Africa last year and visited several (some very large) beef farms, and on asking the South African farmers about the deadweight prices they received for their animals, it seemed they were identical to ours here in the UK, with them stating that there wasn't much margin in it for them at their current prices.

So perhaps we are fairly efficient in this country even though we operate at much higher standards and are smaller scale?
 

Hilly

Member

On analysing world beef prices, it seems South American farmers are the only country that receive very low beef prices and can survive at them.

I was lucky enough to visit South Africa last year and visited several (some very large) beef farms, and on asking the South African farmers about the deadweight prices they received for their animals, it seemed they were identical to ours here in the UK, with them stating that there wasn't much margin in it for them at their current prices.

So perhaps we are fairly efficient in this country even though we operate at much higher standards and are smaller scale?
I was watching store cattle getting sold in America and they were making more than our per pound .
 

Hilly

Member

On analysing world beef prices, it seems South American farmers are the only country that receive very low beef prices and can survive at them.

I was lucky enough to visit South Africa last year and visited several (some very large) beef farms, and on asking the South African farmers about the deadweight prices they received for their animals, it seemed they were identical to ours here in the UK, with them stating that there wasn't much margin in it for them at their current prices.

So perhaps we are fairly efficient in this country even though we operate at much higher standards and are smaller scale?
Our smaller scale gives us advantage , unpaid family labour , sad but true, once you get into employing you loose huge advantage, in theory the most efficaint should be big family’s but they fall out and self destruct .
 

capfits

Member
Our smaller scale gives us advantage , unpaid family labour , sad but true, once you get into employing you loose huge advantage, in theory the most efficaint should be big family’s but they fall out and self destruct .
Nothing efficient about being unpaid, it is simply papering over the cracks for a few years or until the next generation thinks rightly "bugger this"

As for our prospects well processing is very important, but provenance and marketing along with efficiency will make the margins that will help many.
 

Hilly

Member
Nothing efficient about being unpaid, it is simply papering over the cracks for a few years or until the next generation thinks rightly "bugger this"

As for our prospects well processing is very important, but provenance and marketing along with efficiency will make the margins that will help many.
It’s all depends on what way you look at the job .
 

topground

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Somerset.
Is it the case that farmers like to spend what they have and the supply chain reacts accordingly,? if there is no or less demand prices for inputs would fall. Perhaps we should all lock the cheque book away if beef prices rise if inputs rise in response other than for absolute essentials and see what happens.
Trouble is one mans luxury is another mans essential.
 

Hilly

Member
Is it the case that farmers like to spend what they have and the supply chain reacts accordingly,? if there is no or less demand prices for inputs would fall. Perhaps we should all lock the cheque book away if beef prices rise if inputs rise in response other than for absolute essentials and see what happens.
Trouble is one mans luxury is another mans essential.
Yes but soon as it rises we all want to keep more 😂 buy more straw build another shed or what ever etc etc
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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