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No stampede yet on price of West beef [Western Daily Press (UK)](Western Daily Press (UK) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The West Country beef label is beginning to make its presence felt in the marketplace, though price premiums are yet to appear. The PGI name granted by Europe in May certifies that the animal has been reared in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire or further south and west, and according to exacting standards. But the "sticky" beef market has yet to see any real movement, with Farm Assurance still the marker that counts in livestock markets across the region. Prices for beef are wellknown to have crashed to a tipping point for many farmers, with around a fifth expected to leave the industry - and the full effect yet to be seen in autumn, when the problems are likely to spread from finishers to breeders. Mark Northcott, an auctioneer at Frome livestock market, said he could see little chance of the market recovering this year, though the current low price for grain offered some comfort. "We're not finding the market to be any different - there's still lots of Irish beef coming in and there's little money about. I can't see there'll be a sharp increase in price this year - I don't know when it's going to be. And he urged all farmers to bring their cattle to market with Farm Assurance to ensure the best price possible. "FA is a box that simply has to be ticked. Non-assured stock are finding it much harder, more so than the other," he explained. He added that quality was more important than origin, and while pure-bred Hereford and Angus were still meeting a strong trade, he was "certainly not getting buyers telling me to source West Country beef." Instead, the strength of the PGI lies in the long term, with exports the most likely to benefit, says Rob Venner of Greenslade Taylor Hunt and the managing partner of Sedgemoor Auction Centre. He told the Western Daily Press: "Buyers are looking at it, it's something which is in their mind. Can't say that buyers are requiring PGI - it's something more like a slow bur n. "The big supermarket chains already have their large marketing budgets. And the medium retailers or butchers are much more local, they normally give you the name of the farmer, their provenance is a lot stronger. We're encouraging it at markets but more importantly it's there for the long term for exporters." Charolais received PGI very similar to the West Country. Farm Assurance, on the other hand, has been around for about 15 years and is widely acknowledged. "Trade is slipping and with no FA it's just a reason for buyers to pay less for it," said Mr Venner. "Create demand in the UK and the premium might follow. If we demand a premium up front, the supermarkets would get frightened off. If they've taken on board Welsh lamb and Scotch beef, it proves that we can generate demand." (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |