Tesco - Irish Beef better quality.

[Farmer Roy]

So everybody's sure its just a price thing and not quality then?
British beef is the best quality. The problem is according to some Scottish beef is a different and better product. The Irish will tell you theirs is the best, the US will certainly be better (if you ask them) and my Kiwi neighbour says his is best.
That's countries never mind the farm that says their beefs better than their neighbour because they use a different system or breed.
You cant all be right.
So is one better than the other, does the consumer even care?
I don't see how the British beef product can be of consistent quality though with all the different breeds and production methods used.
Maybe it is just a money thing, most things are.

err, ive always believed one of the biggest variables to the eating quality of any meat is the way its cooked . . .

the best beef in the world is still sh!t to eat if its been disrespected by the person cooking it

 

[Jackov Altraids]

I think the issue is that although we are all used to Tesco bull-shitting, they don't usually find the need to criticise the local product when doing it.
There is absolutely no way that this decision was made on quality whether it was better or not.
I'm sure they have been telling farmers to sign up to their producer groups because they want good relationships, quality, blah..... and depress the price they pay to them by ordering in as much as they can from elsewhere.
Tesco's problem is that they have a huge turn over of staff who only care about the figure for the end of the next quarter. Lidl and Aldi are winning by getting good long term relationships to supply a consistently good product which people are going back for.

 

[Raider112]

So everybody's sure its just a price thing and not quality then?
British beef is the best quality. The problem is according to some Scottish beef is a different and better product. The Irish will tell you theirs is the best, the US will certainly be better (if you ask them) and my Kiwi neighbour says his is best.
That's countries never mind the farm that says their beefs better than their neighbour because they use a different system or breed.
You cant all be right.
So is one better than the other, does the consumer even care?
I don't see how the British beef product can be of consistent quality though with all the different breeds and production methods used.
Maybe it is just a money thing, most things are.

Tesco have backtracked and said the Irish beef isn't better quality, in other words they can buy it cheaper and that's all they are interested in. So ollie989898, wind yer bloody neck in, you're getting boring.

 

[ollie989898]

@ollie989898 By visiting your local butcher you are helping keep the money in the local economy. The same as spending your fortune at the local greengrocer(if your lucky enough) to still have on. Or your local hardware shop or anything like that. And the butcher might even know where the beef came from!!.
WB

I'm not driving into the centre of town, paying to park for the privilege, and then walking to the butcher once a week, just to buy meat. I don't have the time, the wife does not have the time.

 

[ollie989898]

@ollie989898

You claim that Tesco are buying more imported beef than using UK beef as we cannot give them 5000 steaks ( as your example ) because there is nothing they can do with the other joints etc that Tesco don't want from each animal,

Well my question to you is : If that is the case what are the killing plants in Ireland doing with all these joints that Tesco don't want?? because if our plants cant sell these joints of meat neither will Irish plants be able to.

I didn't say the meat plants can't sell the stuff, I'm saying TESCO can't/won't well the stuff.

 

[kiwi pom]

err, ive always believed one of the biggest variables to the eating quality of any meat is the way its cooked . . .

the best beef in the world is still sh!t to eat if its been disrespected by the person cooking it

Probably but then everyone has a different idea on how to cook it too.
We don't buy much beef other than mince and the odd topside roast (whatever that is) and usually only when its on special.

Tesco have backtracked and said the Irish beef isn't better quality, in other words they can buy it cheaper and that's all they are interested in. So ollie989898, wind yer bloody neck in, you're getting boring.

So they said the quality is the same?
So it comes down to price then, most businesses work like that don't they, including when farmers buy inputs?

 

[ollie989898]

So TESCO are the great Satan, no one here shops there yet it is AOK to sell them beef and be up in arms if they choose to source product from wherever they like.

You can surely appreciate the irony in this.

 

[awkward]

Probably but then everyone has a different idea on how to cook it too.
We don't buy much beef other than mince and the odd topside roast (whatever that is) and usually only when its on special.



So they said the quality is the same?
So it comes down to price then, most businesses work like that don't they, including when farmers buy inputs?

afraid not all of the time. plenty of price fixing goes on especially if not much competition within areas

 

[MF 168]

As an Irish beef farmer I have to say Tesco have nothing to do with how we the beef farmers produce and sell our cattle or what we get paid. Unfortunately we just phone up our agents and book in X number of cattle and take whatever pittance of a price the factory bosses toss our way. Tesco here are also pee poor at stocking locally sourced produce and have been accused many times of deliberately under pricing products to gain business at the expense of whoever is supplying that product. They certainly don't have a great farmer fan base here either.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

or buy it from a farmer that does freezer beef

Hurrah for farmers with sharp knives
Anyone want to preorder a lamb?

Fully agree, not that I'm coming over to shop at Tesco or anything else but

We need to push the "localvore" ideal to our communities more.
Even if it means donating what we produce and cooking the BBQ ourselves, we really need to work on ways to demonstrate just how good our produce is to the folk around us.
Not saying hire a shepherd in and market every lamb ourselves of course, just educate our public how good good food can be, it helps everyone IMO

Not wishing to blow my horn too much but the feedback we get, even from other farmers, is worth the time.
Time is key to good meat, it can't be done in a day, "fresh" is for veg.

 

[Treg]

So TESCO are the great Satan, no one here shops there yet it is AOK to sell them beef and be up in arms if they choose to source product from wherever they like.

You can surely appreciate the irony in this.

I supply them & buy from them , am annoyed at their statement about quality, I think it's more about lowering price & maybe supply if stock numbers are tightening.

 

[Henarar]

Hurrah for farmers with sharp knives
Anyone want to preorder a lamb?

yep @farmerclare has some going in a couple weeks if anyone wants one or a half
cut out the middleman I say

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Has anyone ever a good word to say about them.... bring on the day that Aldi and Lidl remove them from the top spot

 

[rancher]

So TESCO are the great Satan, no one here shops there yet it is AOK to sell them beef and be up in arms if they choose to source product from wherever they like.

You can surely appreciate the irony in this.

You have to respect any business that survives and provides employment in these times, big will always be getting bigger.....that's life.

 

[Rowland]

In Tescos and most of the meat is British. Boswell farms beef loads different cuts Scottish rump and some Irish beef . Both British and Irish roasting joints £7 per kg .all chicken seams to be British- pork most British some danish - lamb once again mainly British but some NZ

 

[Northeastfarmer]

In Tescos and most of the meat is British. Boswell farms beef loads

Oh dear...

 

[Henarar]

In Tescos and most of the meat is British. Boswell farms beef loads different cuts Scottish rump and some Irish beef . Both British and Irish roasting joints £7 per kg .all chicken seams to be British- pork most British some danish - lamb once again mainly British but some NZ

different down here most of the pork is foreign lots of irish beef and NZ lamb
I have no objection apart from the British and foreign meat will be in the same wrapping on the same shelf so the shopper has to really look to find the small writing to find out where it comes from
I think they should be made to have the writing a lot bigger and a british flag or other flag of a decent size so the shopper can make an easy informed choice

 

[Wellytrack]

Oh dear...

View attachment 622704

A little bit of clever marketing.

• Rosedene Farms – apples (UK), pears (Belgium), strawberries (Spain), blueberries (Chile)
• Boswell Farms– beef products (UK, Republic of Ireland)
• Willow Farms – chicken (100% UK)
• Redmere Farms – sprouts (UK), mushrooms (Holland), carrots (UK), parsnips (UK), spinach (Italy, Spain), spring greens (UK), cabbage (Spain), onions (UK), new potatoes (UK), sweet potatoes (US)
• Nightingale Farms – celery (Spain), cherry tomatoes (Spain, Morocco)
• Woodside Farms – pigmeat products (UK, Holland, Denmark, Germany, “EU”)
• Suntrail Farms– imported fruit such as oranges, lemons, avocados

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

A little bit of clever marketing.

There is a fine [legal] line between 'clever marketing' and deception.

 

[Wellytrack]

different down here most of the pork is foreign lots of irish beef and NZ lamb
I have no objection apart from the British and foreign meat will be in the same wrapping on the same shelf so the shopper has to really look to find the small writing to find out where it comes from
I think they should be made to have the writing a lot bigger and a british flag or other flag of a decent size so the shopper can make an easy informed choice

Ever notice how the fancy Cheese sections often have French Flags displayed somewhere prominent ? Or the upmarket pizza or pasta have Italian ones?
They don't shy away all the time, they are well aware of what thoughts or feeling come into shoppers heads when they recognise something perceived with quality - shoppers shouldn't have to squint and turn each pack over to see its country of origin.

I'm not so sure the public would feel anymore trusting of seeing the Union Flag on a box thanks to the supermarkets undermining of shoppers confidence by repeated mislabelling/fraud.

Regardless it should be very bloody obvious and easy for shoppers to make the buying decision whilst the nations flag flies above each section, the same products offered for sale, like for like side by side - not all squirrelled away and mixed like a soup within a brand.

I know I'm over simplifying it, logistically and with shelf space costed the way it is it'll never happen, but it should.