Why abattoirs seek uniform cattle to meet retailer demands
© Craig Stephen The key attribute both retailers and abattoirs are looking for in livestock is size consistency, according to processor ABP.
The firm currently processes about 600,000 cattle and more than one million sheep in the UK each year.
See also: How demand for ‘regen beef’ is expanding in niche markets
Joe Murphy, general manager at ABP Ellesmere, says retailer demands dictate the target grades and weight at abattoirs.
Retailers are looking for standardisation between cuts so that products fit the packaging well.
Most of the meat from Ellesmere goes to Sainsbury’s, with a smaller percentage sold to Aldi and Tesco.
The cost-of-living crisis is encouraging a shift towards lower-value cuts and mince, according to ABP.
Steve Thompson, the firm’s business unit director, says: “As consumers change their buying habits to lower-value cuts, carcass balance does come into play, with demand falling for higher values. It is something we will be keeping a close eye on in the coming months.”
Europ grades
Grades O to U on the Europ confirmation class grid and grades two to four for fat class are most in demand.
However, acceptable weights can range from 225kg to 400kg deadweight or from 500kg to 800kg liveweight.
There is a general shift towards a narrower weight range to achieve a more consistently sized animal.
Retail sales and buying patterns are the key influences that determine the specifications set by individual customers.
There is less interest in specific breeds of cattle, with no real preference as long as the cattle are finished within the target grade specification.
The Europ grid showing current prices is made available to suppliers weekly through the ABP procurement team, and more than 80% of cattle meet the specification at Ellesmere.
The age of finished cattle can also be a consideration depending on retailer requirements.
Dean Holroyd, ABP’s group technical and sustainability director, says:
“We are trying to deliver consistency for the end user, and the tighter you can get that, through narrowing the variation, the better chance you have of delivering that same steak-eating experience, because it is broadly the same thickness every time and the way you cook it is exactly the same.”
At the abattoir near Ellesmere, farmers can watch the cattle go through the lairage and grading process, to help them see where they can make improvements.
Carcass classification is done using a 3D imaging machine and a physical grader.
Farmers can see how animals are graded and talk with the buyers to see how they did and where they could improve.
Nutrition and husbandry standards can also have an effect on animal grading.
ABP is working with Genus studying the genetics of the cattle that come through the site, taking DNA samples from each carcass, which should help enhance food traceability.
The genetic information collected by Genus will also help determine which traits produce the best meat, providing a useful insight for future breeding choices on farm.
Labour shortfall
One of the major issues for the meat-processing sector is availability of labour.
Currently the sector is operating with about 5-10% staff shortages, which is fairly high compared to other sectors.
NFU chief livestock adviser John Royle says:
“Whenever we speak to the processors, they always say labour is the first and most immediate issue to them. The biggest problem is keeping abattoirs staffed with the right people.
“Processing the animal and making it into cuts is where you are adding value, and that feeds back down into farmgate prices. So, if you can’t process that product and extract the right cuts to place into the right market, you are eroding the farmgate value.”
In the boning hall at Ellesmere, the trained butchers are paid on piece rate as an incentive. The site employs 1,050 people in total, with much of the labour currently from eastern Europe.
“The industry is still very heavily reliant on eastern European labour, but businesses are starting to look further afield as well now,” says Mr Royle.
Processing site
Ellesmere runs a fully integrated system, taking the cattle right through to retail products such as meatballs, burgers, mince, steak, and premium cuts.
It has a throughput of about 1,500 cattle a week and processes 40,000t of retail packed beef each year.
The layout of the lairage is key to animal wellbeing, and industry specialist Temple Grandin was involved with the design process.
The site is constructed in a 45deg herringbone shape, which reduces sharp corners. It is designed to be uphill and is light at the top, which encourages cattle to come forward.
The lairage has quiet-shut gates and rubber floors to limit noise, and the animals are stunned when they reach the top. The site has four staff qualified in stunning and they rotate in the role throughout the day.
Each carcass is split down the middle and then into fore and hind quarters.
The meat is chilled slowly to avoid it tightening up and becoming tough, first to 10C for about 10 hours and then to 0C after that.
© Craig Stephen
About 60-70% of the hind quarters are dry aged, typically for about 14 days. This darkens the meat and takes out some of the moisture using a dehumidifier.
Ellesmere is the first site where dry aging has been carried out on a larger scale by the company. ABP has been working with chef Jamie Oliver to bring the product to the mass market through restaurants and retailers.
Mr Thompson says: “We went from having bright-red meat to dark meat, and consumers couldn’t relate to that at first – in their mind the redder the meat the fresher, even though it was younger and tougher. So we had to get that messaging across first.”
Bromstead Farm, Newport, Shropshire
ABP works with one of its beef finishing units at nearby Bromstead Farm to discover how improvements can be made to the cattle, and then pass on this advice to other producers.
Bromstead Farm finishes about 450 head a year, with the cattle fed on a 75% forage-based total mixed ration, consisting of grass silage, straw, barley, wheat distillers’ grains, and molasses.
The average slaughter age for cattle from the farm is 16.5 months, with an average slaughter weight of 315kg deadweight.
The farm works in collaboration with Blade Farming’s calf-rearing units, which is an integrated contract operation, providing fully vaccinated calves to Bromstead Farm at about 12-16 weeks old.
Typically, cattle are raised through the scheme on a contract-finishing basis, with the farmer receiving a management fee for finishing animals within a target weight and fat specification.
Farm manager Andrew Macleod says: “We run four batches of cattle a year – one every three months – which mostly come through our Blade integrated system, and they are all dairy beef.”
Feed efficiency
Average daily liveweight gain for cattle on the farm is 1.5kg, monitored using Agri Webb, with most cattle weighed weekly.
Electronic feed bins from GrowSafe Systems are used to monitor each animal’s feed intake and then calculate the best genetic traits for feed efficiency, comparing this against carcass confirmation data collected at ABP Ellesmere.
Backfat scanning is also conducted on farm, as well as bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), which analyses carcass composition.
ABP’s Dean Holroyd says: “The farm has a data-driven approach, looking at BIA and how that feeds into red meat yields and the benefits we get from having an integrated system. The way a meat processor can influence this is by identifying those elite genetics and then promoting them.”
Liz Ford, ABP agricultural projects manager, says: “To date, a huge focus has been on genetics. This informs our integrated programme, ensuring we are using the best genetics that work for the dairy farmer, the rearers and finisher, as well as for us and our customers.
“Our farmers are already able to benefit from this and we will continue to drive this forward.
“We are now looking at the bigger holistic picture, with a focus on sustainable beef production, with a specific focus on improving soils through grass and grazing management and biodiversity.
“We have also started measuring individual animal methane emissions with a view to understanding the effect genetics and management can have. Our wider learnings are for the benefit of our farmers and over the next few years we will be sharing our findings through a number of exciting initiatives,” Ms Ford adds.