Why are UK calves worth so much less.

[happycows]

While on the Holland/Belgium border selecting heifers a couple weeks ago 2 lorry loads of Irish fresian bull calves turned up. About 500 in total. Talking to them they were £150 each delivered and destined for veal probably ending up in restaurants in Spain, Greece or Portugal.
Meanwhile in our local market better Similar bred calves are averaging £15 and many ending up in pet food I suspect.
Seems like a huge disparity in values.
I know we can’t export but if they can turn them into profitable animals at £150 whys nobody doing it here with far cheaper calves?

 

[PREES]

Often thought (pre b****y brexit) why is there no veal production in the UK for the European market? It would avoid the live export issue.

 

[vantage]

While on the Holland/Belgium border selecting heifers a couple weeks ago 2 lorry loads of Irish fresian bull calves turned up. About 500 in total. Talking to them they were £150 each delivered and destined for veal probably ending up in restaurants in Spain, Greece or Portugal.
Meanwhile in our local market better Similar bred calves are averaging £15 and many ending up in pet food I suspect.
Seems like a huge disparity in values.
I know we can’t export but if they can turn them into profitable animals at £150 whys nobody doing it here with far cheaper calves?

I don't expect the Irish farmers got any more than here,transport,losses and profit will have to be deducted from the delivered price.

 

[mixed farm]

I don't expect the Irish farmers got any more than here,transport,losses and profit will have to be deducted from the delivered price.

From €20 to €80 for export calves in Ireland, depending on age and strength and weather for ferry sailings.

 

[Beef farmer]

What makes an export calve? Ive seen a market ticket from ire that chap bought 60 calves for 120 euro.

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Not just dairy calves making rubbish money some beef calves are not much better I don’t really understand why there not more money.

 

[pine_guy]

Not just dairy calves making rubbish money some beef calves are not much better I don’t really understand why there not more money.

Because the beef price is on its arse and feed is dear.

 

[happycows]

Has anyone successfully done veal calves that were being pushed here a few years ago?
If I remember right supermarkets were behind the initiative.

 

[pine_guy]

Has anyone successfully done veal calves that were being pushed here a few years ago?
If I remember right supermarkets were behind the initiative.

I don’t think the market is big enough for it here.

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Because the beef price is on its arse and feed is dear.

I see your point but how do people know what the beef price will be in 2 years time?

 

[Headless chicken]

I see your point but how do people know what the beef price will be in 2 years time?

They don’t but if they don’t have money now they can’t buy. Things really aren’t good out there. Everyone I speaking to is struggling

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

They don’t but if they don’t have money now they can’t buy. Things really aren’t good out there. Everyone I speaking to is struggling

Yeh same everywhere unfortunately.

 

[Headless chicken]

Yeh same everywhere unfortunately.

Culmination of some very difficult weather patterns, low returns and higher inputs. It’s getting to the stage mind where something it’s going to be pretty catastrophic. Merchants with millions of pounds out where people physically don’t have it.

 

[Martyn]

Has anyone successfully done veal calves that were being pushed here a few years ago?
If I remember right supermarkets were behind the initiative.

We had a contract for veal, we were taking them upto 4/5 months and they paid well and targets were sensible.Used to go up to Sillmans, in groups of ten, rspca inspected etc, then the firm wanted groups of 40 at a time, we ended up doing black and whites and limi, paid very well but then we had groups at 5 months eating they made us hold onto them for extra few weks, then months and then they just ate the profit. They employed a ex miltary guy to oversea it as is grew and he was a **** to deal with,.

 

[Agrispeed]

Not just dairy calves making rubbish money some beef calves are not much better I don’t really understand why there not more money.

Depends on the market here...

I made more profit last year with jersey bulls than AAx at 4 weeks old

 

[Martyn]

When i went to france about ten years ago, we visited a farm who milked 60/70 cows, through a parlour into a bulk tank. Then he had a milk pump at the bottom of the connected to a yellow volume washer, the hose ran doen through a shed housing 100/150 calves, they had bedded cubicles with slats, i think from memory he fed 10/12l a calve, they had straw and adlib concentrates, and had milk every day upto killing at 4/5 months. They looked fantastic, clean, and shinning, veal tasted gorgus. I can remember the herd was treated the same as normal milking herd, with OOPF and grazing. He purchased in a lot of calves, most i think we limi, and blonds

 

[Martyn]

When i went to france about ten years ago, we visited a farm who milked 60/70 cows, through a parlour into a bulk tank. Then he had a milk pump at the bottom of the connected to a yellow volume washer, the hose ran doen through a shed housing 100/150 calves, they had bedded cubicles with slats, i think from memory he fed 10/12l a calve, they had straw and adlib concentrates, and had milk every day upto killing at 4/5 months. They looked fantastic, clean, and shinning, veal tasted gorgus. I can remember the herd was treated the same as normal milking herd, with OOPF and grazing. He purchased in a lot of calves, most i think were, and blondes

 

[Fergieman]

Theres a few doing Rose Veal up here to supply Linden Foods. Seems to be a closed shop though and getting plenty animals from current suppliers. I sell Lim x calves for £250 and B&W for £100 (thats about the same difference at slaughter) to men for setting onto to cows and its amazing how many take the B&W and say they make as much of them as the Lim x. Friesians rather than holsteins may be the difference.

 

[gone up the hill]

While on the Holland/Belgium border selecting heifers a couple weeks ago 2 lorry loads of Irish fresian bull calves turned up. About 500 in total. Talking to them they were £150 each delivered and destined for veal probably ending up in restaurants in Spain, Greece or Portugal.
Meanwhile in our local market better Similar bred calves are averaging £15 and many ending up in pet food I suspect.
Seems like a huge disparity in values.
I know we can’t export but if they can turn them into profitable animals at £150 whys nobody doing it here with far cheaper calves?

Very small market for UK veal.

And as for the calf price generally, well prime prices are on the floor and costs are thru the roof for starters.

And add to that that the quality of calves coming out from the UK dairy herd is the worst I can recall in over 30 years attending calve markets, many of them are clearly underfed and have had little or no clostrum and as for the breeding, it has got so extreme in the last 10 years that many calves quite rightly are making very little money.

On current beef prices a half decent Lim/ Angus heifer really isn't worth anymore than £50/80 head.

 

[gone up the hill]

Theres a few doing Rose Veal up here to supply Linden Foods. Seems to be a closed shop though and getting plenty animals from current suppliers. I sell Lim x calves for £250 and B&W for £100 (thats about the same difference at slaughter) to men for stting onto to cows and its amazing how many take the B&W and say they make as much of them as the Lim x. Friesians rather than holsteins may be the difference.

That is because decent Frix finished cattle are making as much if not more than Limx etc heifers.