25 May 2011

Wm Morrison Supermarkets and its subsidiary, Woodhead Brothers announce a major increase in their British Beef requirement this week with the launch of a new scheme focussing on Britain’s traditional native breeds. The initiative will create demand for an additional 16,000 native breed cattle per year from the supermarket’s three Woodhead Brothers abattoirs, an increase of almost 10% on current throughput.

The special premium for shorthorns reflects the supermarket’s long-standing commitment to the Shorthorn breed on its own farm at Dumfries House in Scotland, where it has developed a new feeding regime specifically to enhance the inherent eating quality of the breed and produce a premium product.

The scheme will be open to all British native breeds and their crosses, but singles out the Beef Shorthorn for a special premium. Eligible native breed cattle will receive a 10ppkg premium over Woodhead Brothers base price, while Beef Shorthorns and their crosses will receive 20ppkg in total, or up to £75 / head.

Frank Milnes, Secretary of the Shorthorn Society, commented:  “There were 27,000 Beef Shorthorn and Shorthorn cross calves registered by BCMS last year. This record number shows how the commercial value of the breed is more widely recognised than ever before. A major attraction of the breed has been the ability to produce functional suckler cows: now that we have a premium scheme for Shorthorn beef even more farmers will be encouraged to use the Beef Shorthorn bull in their commercial suckler herds. It’s a win-win situation.”

Morrisons has formed an exclusive partnership with the Beef Shorthorn Society which will promote the use of registered and DNA recorded Beef Shorthorn bulls in the UK suckler herd. A competition, to be launched at the NBA  Expo this week, will offer  farmers £250 off the purchase price of a registered Beef Shorthorn Bull, and mark the start of the major push to promote the breed.

Under the scheme, farmers, including those who already supply Woodhead Brothers, will need to apply for approval at least 100 days before they send their first native breed cattle to one of the firm’s three abattoirs in Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Aberdeenshire. They must be farm assured and agree to finish cattle on a specially developed cereal-based diet.

Eligible cattle must weigh between 260kg and 380kg CCW, and be steers or heifers. Bulls and OTMS cattle are not eligible. The firm has developed a special carcass grid for the scheme which includes O+ cattle within the target specification.

Approved farms will be eligible for full premiums from Monday 19th September; however an initial 10ppkg premium for Beef Shorthorns is available immediately.

Farmers wishing to gain approval for this scheme should contact the Livestock office at Woodhead Brothers Colne on 01282 729 117, and will be sent an information pack.

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