Export Growth Forecast In The UK Beef Market
UK - SUBSTANTIAL further export growth as the UK takes advantage of a number of key European opportunities is forecast to underpin continued stability in the UK beef market over the rest of 2007 in the latest outlook from the English Beef & Lamb Executive (Eblex).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