NFU leaders have urged government and food industry to help reverse the declining number of suckler cows.

The organisation, speaking at the start of Great British Beef Week yesterday (April 23), said giving the right sort of signals on pricing and regulation would help reserve the declining amount of suckler cows in the UK.

The NFU reckoned that the UK was the fourth largest producer of beef in Europe but production had fallen 4% of recent. So they are calling on retailers, consumers and government to get behind British farming and buy British beef.

Charles Sercombe, NFU livestock board chairman, said: “Around half of our beef comes from the suckler herd.

“Consumers tell us they want to eat more British produce and that provenance is important to them. One of the most interesting developments we’ve seen is the increased demand for native breeds of cattle such as Shorthorn, Angus and Hereford beef. Farmers have responded to this demand and adapted their systems accordingly.

The union also said it would like to see better, longer term relationships throughout the supply chain and would like to see more investment.

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