National Beef Association on the wrong track ?

Old Tip

Member
Location
Cumbria
I read in the Farmers Guardian that the NBA are suggesting the age at which cattle can be sold as prime beef be lowered to 27 months to allegedly reduce the carbon footprint of beef production.
Firstly I completely disagree with their calculations as slower grown grass fed beef actuallytakes more carbon out of the atmosphere than it puts in plus needs less fossil fuels etc etc.
Secondly the American/Brazilian feedlot cereal based finishing system is where a lot of the bad press on beef comes from, our more pastoral raised beef has a unique marketing advantage and is what the consumer seems to want. You never see an advert for beef of a load of cattle in a yard or a shed.
Be intrested to here what the rest of the collective thinks about this but I for one will be revoking my membership of more than twenty years.

Old Tip
 

S J H

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Bedfordshire
I read in the Farmers Guardian that the NBA are suggesting the age at which cattle can be sold as prime beef be lowered to 27 months to allegedly reduce the carbon footprint of beef production.
Firstly I completely disagree with their calculations as slower grown grass fed beef actuallytakes more carbon out of the atmosphere than it puts in plus needs less fossil fuels etc etc.
Secondly the American/Brazilian feedlot cereal based finishing system is where a lot of the bad press on beef comes from, our more pastoral raised beef has a unique marketing advantage and is what the consumer seems to want. You never see an advert for beef of a load of cattle in a yard or a shed.
Be intrested to here what the rest of the collective thinks about this but I for one will be revoking my membership of more than twenty years.

Old Tip
I’m glad someone agrees. They seem to be admitting to the claim that beef is bad for the environment.
 

Dan Powell

Member
Location
Shropshire
Yes exactly. All this talk of improving "productivity" (aka feeding more concentrates in a feedlot type environment) and modelling beef in the chicken industry is not just barking up the wrong tree, it's in the wrong bit of woodland altogether.

If you want to use that concentrate with maximum productivity feed it to humans, then fish, or chickens or pigs and maybe at a stretch to dairy cows.

Promoting 10 month old bull beef as sustainable is laughable.

What is a beef cow for? Converting forage to meat. Simple.

If this means that total output of beef drops per unit area of grassland, then that is a GOOD thing. It will support prices for 100% pasture fed beef which is where the focus of genetic research should be.
 

S J H

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Bedfordshire
Yes exactly. All this talk of improving "productivity" (aka feeding more concentrates in a feedlot type environment) and modelling beef in the chicken industry is not just barking up the wrong tree, it's in the wrong bit of woodland altogether.

If you want to use that concentrate with maximum productivity feed it to humans, then fish, or chickens or pigs and maybe at a stretch to dairy cows.

Promoting 10 month old bull beef as sustainable is laughable.

What is a beef cow for? Converting forage to meat. Simple.

If this means that total output of beef drops per unit area of grassland, then that is a GOOD thing. It will support prices for 100% pasture fed beef which is where the focus of genetic research should be.
Exactly, and I think it’s the opposite way we should be going, with the new trade deals coming up.
 

Treg

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cornwall
I've not done the calculations on this but if they lowered the age & weights dropped, wouldn't you need to rear more animals to achieve the same amount of beef? :scratchhead:
Didn't need to say it twice :X3: (y):ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::D
 

delilah

Member
the NBA are suggesting the age at which cattle can be sold as prime beef be lowered to 27 months

Not having seen the article, what does that actually mean ? Is 'prime beef' a legally defined phrase ? If selling direct would you not be able to use the phrase 'prime beef' for a 30 mth beast ? Is it a supermarket buying category ?
Confused as to what the practical implication is ?
 

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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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