In the 12 months since the full lifting of export restrictions over 57,000 tonnes of fresh and frozen beef have been exported from the UK, three quarters of this to four countries.

Holland has been the principal market – taking fully a third of total exports – followed by Ireland at just over 20%, France at around 15% and Germany at 8%. Italy, Belgium and Spain have also been important destinations.

High quality beef from grass-fed steers and heifers classified at R3-4 is a particular area of opportunity in the export market, with over 30 month cows continuing in good demand. At the same time, offal is providing a number of valuable export opportunities, not least with the current buoyancy in the tripe market.

With British beef re-establishing itself in its traditional European markets and developing several new ones, exports are forecast to reach some 65,000 tonnes for 2007 as a whole, helped by a greater availability of cow beef and competitive prices. This would represent an increase of more than 40% on 2006.

As forecast at the beginning of the year, prime cattle slaughterings over the first six months of 2007 were 2.6% down on the previous year, reveal interim Meat and Livestock Commission figures. However, carcase weights were an average 5 kg/head higher, leaving production from prime cattle just 1% below 2006 levels.

Source: Farmers Guardian