A large group of industry stakeholders has met to agree the principles on how the next government should tackle cattle diseases.
The meeting involved the British Cattle Veterinary Association, British Veterinary Association, Country Land and Business Association, Farmers For Action, Livestock Auctioneers’ Association, National Beef Association, NFU, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers and Tenant Farmers Association.
Following the meeting, the group said: “There is broad agreement between the farming industry and the veterinary profession on the approach the next government should take on bovine TB and other cattle diseases. This agreement will be presented to the next government as a top priority.”
The three main strands are:
· Key farming and veterinary bodies support the comprehensive 25-year bovine TB eradication strategy published in April 2014. These organisations want to see the creation of a TB Eradication Board for England - comprising suitably qualified representatives from the farming industry, the veterinary profession and government - charged with strategic leadership, communication, technical capability and oversight of delivery, reporting directly to the Defra Secretary of State.
· A nationwide TB Advisory Service as part of the Rural Development Programme, giving advice and training to farmers on how to deal with the consequences of the disease or help them remain disease free.
· The creation of an industry-led non-government body - Animal Health England - with the mission of improving the cattle health status of the country by tackling non-statutory diseases, such as bovine viral diarrhea, Johne’s disease and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis.
Landowners join forces to launch bovine TB vaccination scheme
Landowners in Cheshire are working collaboratively in a bid to take action against the spread of bovine tuberculosis in wildlife and livestock and reduce the risk the disease poses to the livelihoods of their tenant farmers.
The Eaton Estate, Bolesworth Estate, Peckforton Estate and part of Cholmondeley Estate, will work together to vaccinate badgers over the next four years across almost 86 km2 of the county’s countryside.
It is believed to be the first successful application to the Government’s Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme by a group of private landowners and represents one of the largest areas covered by the programme in the country. The estates will match fund the £165,000 grant which has been awarded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).
Edwin Christmas, Estate Director at Eaton Estate, said: “We believe the vaccination scheme is the best option available to us at this time. It’s a big commitment from a group of private landowners but we recognise that we need to take action to help safe guard the livelihoods of our tenant farmers against the risk of bovine TB and in the current rural climate the consortium felt they had to take action.”
The scheme will form part of the Defra Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme which was launched in 2014 and aims to curb the spread of bovine TB into land bordering more high risk areas.
The badgers are captured and trained staff inject the animals with the vaccine before safely releasing them back into the wild.
Bovine TB is one of the UK’s major animal health problems. It represents a substantial threat to cattle farmers' livelihoods, the farming industry, as well as the health of wildlife and livestock. This scheme is an opportunity to gauge the efficacy of vaccination in Cheshire before the disease spreads further in the county.
Beef farmers had 'difficult start to 2015'
Beef farmers have had a difficult start to 2015, driven by a combination of factors some of which are outwith producers’ control, according to Stuart Ashworth, Head of Economics Services with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).
However, the coming months look more encouraging for beef producers as the supply and demand pendulum starts to swing back towards farmers.
“We know the availability of prime cattle in Scotland, UK and Ireland will diminish so, in the next quarter, we expect to see the volume of cattle arriving at abattoirs slow down. It is likely we will then see some firmness in the market for the beef producer,” said Mr Ashworth.
Looking back at the situation over recent months, Mr Ashworth said a complex range of factors had been influencing the market, based around the basic building blocks of supply and demand.
“What has happened is the volume of cattle has been starting to fall, resulting in Scottish and UK abattoirs handling fewer prime cattle, although this has been slightly offset by an increase in cow slaughterings. For example, during March Scottish abattoirs handled seven percent fewer cattle than a year ago and in England and Wales the numbers were down two percent for prime stock but unchanged overall.
“However, the price has also continued to fall, reflecting the fact that cattle are being slaughtered at heavier weights. As a result, although the number of cattle being slaughtered has reduced, the volume of beef produced over the first quarter had increased by one percent.”
One very significant factor has been the impact of the strength Sterling, observed Mr Ashworth.
This has meant that it has been difficult for processors to export, while at the same time imports have become more attractive.
“Over the first quarter, exports of UK beef have reduced by around 2500 tonnes while imports have increased by about 4500 tonnes,” he said.
“Add to that the increase in domestic supply and we find that the market has been working with around eight per cent more beef than a year ago.”
That would not have been a problem if consumption had been strong but, while it has improved for some cuts, it has not been enough to absorb the extra supply.
“Some cuts have been selling better than others but the product which is not selling well has been building up in processors’ chills and has had to find a market in the manufacturing trade which has been proving sluggish,” added Mr Ashworth.
“This explains why we have seen a slide in farm gate prices and why some of our producers have been facing an extended period to get cattle to market.”
However, looking forward he said the outlook was looking more promising for beef farmers.
“We know from BCMS data that the volume of cattle set to come forward as prime stock over the next six to nine months will diminish further and the same scenario is expected in Ireland,” said Mr Ashworth.
“This will mean the abattoirs will be able to manage the sale of less popular cuts out of their cold stores and the whole supply and demand balance will come closer together.”
