Are you wondering what 2010 will bring for your business? If you want to know, and ask experts your questions, take part in our free online outlook seminars.Thousands more calves shot as farmers search for a market
FARMERS are being forced to shoot dead thousands of dairy bull calves that had been due for export before the Dutch veal industry closed its borders last month.
Dutch farmers were furious after they imported British-reared calves that were subsequently found to have TB and have put an end to the trade that should be at its peak at this time of the year.
Between January and June Britain exported more than 40,000 calves to the continent, with more than half of those going to the Netherlands and Belgium.
But without an economically viable home market for Holstein bull calves, most of those are now being shot. With the dairy industry growing and Holstein bull calf numbers on the rise, the problem is set to get worse unless a home market opens up. Around half a million black and white bull calves are born in the UK every year.
Andrew Hendy runs one of Britain's largest calf export companies. He said that a market price of £5 to £15 just wasn't enough to persuade farmers to take their lower end black and white calves to market.
“By the time you have tagged them, waited a week for their passport, fed them and looked after them, transported them to market and paid a commission on the sale, it is not worth it.
“I am for everything to do with welfare and I have even pulled around 200 calves to rear myself but I have now run out of space. Without a market I have had to kill around 2,000 calves since the ban.
“I am devastated and I am as low as you can get,” he said.
For those that chance the market place, things are equally grim.
“At Sedgemoor market on Saturday there were 400 Holstein bull calves but not a single farmer to bid for them. Farms have reached saturation, they have no space to rear calves and no confidence in the market,” said Mr Hendy.
Animal welfare groups have this week ramped up the pressure on major retailers and beef and dairy farmers to club together to create an economically viable home market for Holstein bull calves.
Chief policy advisor at Compassion in World Farming, Peter Stevenson, said: “We need to expand the UK veal industry and replace veal imports. Industry also needs to make a real commitment to rearing for beef. For this to happen farmers need to know their finished animals will get a good price and this is where the retailer needs to step in where they have failed in the past,” he said.
Beyond calf exports – do it the Blade way
IN January this year, industry stakeholders - including the National Beef Association, Tesco, RSPCA, McDonalds, NFU and CIWF – produced a report to find alternative outlets for excess male calves.
Among the contributors to the report, Beyond Calf Exports, were Blade farming. In 2007 Blade reared more than 16,000 calves making it one of the biggest beef farming operations in England.
Richard Phelps is the managing director of Blade Farming and Southern Counties Fresh Foods. He said that up until the export ban around a quarter of Britain's Holstein bull calves were exported, a quarter were put into UK systems and half were wasted but that there was potential to use up to three quarters of all bull calves on the home market.
"There has always been an issue with Holstein bulls where only a percentage of them will have adequate confirmation for the market.
"But if farmers can be given a forward price for the beef finisher, like we do, it adds confidence.
"We are also working on better genetics to build more stronger calves.
"We are also explaining to the consumer why UK veal is better than Dutch veal," he said.
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