Greater production efficiencies and product consistency possible from yearling bull finishing schemes offer the UK beef industry significant opportunities, according to David Evans, head of agriculture for Morrisons.
Speaking at the Beef Improvement Group conference at Askham Bryan, Mr Evans highlighted key advantages of yearling suckler beef from farm to fork, stressing that the ultimate aim was to see more British consumers making British beef a more regular part of their meal choices.
“We must start with the consumer, and ensure we are providing a product of the right price and quality to compete with the wide range of meal options available, ” he said.
“Consistency is, in my view, the single most important aspect of product quality, and this is a particular challenge for the beef industry with the wide range of weights and ages of finished cattle being produced.
“With a focus on yearling beef, with systems geared to specific target weights, we are better able to control the product consistency. We know from tenderness testing and trained taste panels that bulls finished at 12-14 months deliver the quality and consistency required by the modern consumer.
“From the production perspective, yearling bulls are finished on average 10 months earlier than steers. In a breeder/finisher situation, this means that grazing land that would otherwise be allocated to young steers can be utilised by breeding cows.
“The overall impact is an increase in carcase output and sale value, more than compensating for the extra concentrate required to finish the bulls. The net effect is 30% more income per acre , which is a significantly more sustainable beef production system.”

Morrisons’ vertically integrated yearling beef scheme is geared to Stabiliser bulls and other breeds by agreement, with a target carcase weight range of 320 to 370kg and R4L /
U4L on the EUROP grading scheme.
- Ends -
11 November 2015
Further information from: Richard Fuller
Beef Improvement Group
Tel: 07970 097519
E-mail: Richard.fuller@jsr.co.uk
Issued by Matt Mellor, Agribusiness Communications Limited
Tel: 01694 731777 E-mail: matt@abccomms.co.uk
The text from this news release can be downloaded directly from the ABC press centre at www.abccomms.co.uk