Morrisons offer 25p/kg Beef Shorthorn premium
© Tim Scrivener Morrisons is offering beef finishers a 25p/kg premium for their Shorthorn-sired cattle to start in September.
An exclusive agreement between the retailer and the Beef Shorthorn Society was announced on Tuesday (12 July) at the Great Yorkshire Show for Beef Shorthorn or Beef Shorthorn-sired cattle.
Morrisons confirmed packaging will carry the Beef Shorthorn breed logo.
See also: Morrisons sets feed guidelines for Beef Shorthorn scheme
Beef Shorthorn specification
- Deadweight limit of 280-380kg
- Premiums on U-, Rs, O+, 3s, 4Ls and 4Hs
- Cattle must be under 30 months
- Finished for 90 days on a “specific balanced diet”
Under “The Best” brand, the range of steak cuts; fillet, rump, ribeye, sirloin as well as diced beef, topside and mince, aims to drive value across the carcass, according Frank Milnes, Beef Shorthorn Society secretary.
He said a range of grading requirements were available, with a top premium of 25p/kg deadweight.
Mr Milnes stressed that finishing diets were key to ensuring farms supplied Morrisons with a consistent product, with animals needing to fall into the 280-380kg deadweight band.
He said: “Too often beef is inconsistent and consumers don’t know what they are eating, which becomes a problem when they don’t like it.
“This range is all about consistency.
“Sires used in the scheme must be registered with the society and we insist on a DNA sample of every recorded sire so Morrisons has complete traceability of any Beef Shorthorn bull.”
Shorthorn scheme in numbers
- Just over 200 farmers supplying of 1,500 beef farms overall
- Throughput of Beef Shorthorns at 7,500
- Weekly throughput at 130-150 head a week
- Cattle are 70% steers 30% heifers
Beef Shorthorn-sired throughput is hoped to double from 7,500 to about 1,500, according to Joe Mannion, Morrisons head of livestock procurement.
“We are hopeful that we will build number but we do not want to rush it,” he told farming media at the Great Yorkshire Show.
“We want people to be finishing cattle properly and we know the consumer demand for the product is there, we would rather build steadily at this stage.
“We are looking for more cattle at the moment.
“We aren’t as active in the south of England as we could be – there is a lot of opportunity to go at.”
Morrisons is evaluating ways of managing the logistical issues of procuring more cattle, including collecting from individual farms and farm collection centres, he added.
He stressed there would be no penalties for out-of-spec Shorthorns.
These animals would receive the standard base price.