Adding value to cull cow beef

End of project reportThis project addressed the prospects of increasing the value of cull cow beef and examined the potential of a number of different management and dietary strategies. In Ireland, the national cow herd contributes 350,000 animals to total beef production annually, which represents 22% of all cattle slaughtered (DAF, 2007). A dominant feature of beef production in Ireland is the disposal of cows from the dairy and beef industries, the time of year at which culling occurs influences the number of cows available for slaughter. Suitability of a cow for slaughter is generally not a consideration for dairy or beef farmers

Perceptions of PDO Beef: The Portuguese Consumer

The objectives of this paper are to examine consumers' perceptions of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) beef on the basis of a survey of consumers and buyers of beef. The paper identifies a profile of PDO beef consumers, examines their behaviour and perceptions on PDO beef, derives the dimensions of perceptions of PDO beef, and establishes segments based upon those dimensions. The results reveal that PDO consumers are representative of all geographical regions, age and profession groups, are lighter consumers of beef and shop for food mainly in the butchers. Consumers' perceptions on PDO beef emphasises quality, safety, and control. However, underlying those perceptions are six main dimensions and it is possible to identify three segments of PDO beef consumers: a faithful consumer group, an unaware consumer group, and a sensory, price conscious group.Protected designations of origin, beef, perceptions, factor analysis, cluster analysis, Consumer/Household Economics,

A TARGET CONSUMER PROFILE AND POSITIONING FOR PROMOTION OF A NEW LOCALLY BRANDED BEEF PRODUCT

This research examines the consumer profile and positioning for a new locally branded beef product. The research involves 413 beef consumers in California. The target consumers for the new locally branded beef product are approximately one-third of beef consumers in the local area. They are older, married, and from higher dual-income households. The target consumers for the new locally branded beef product are likely to have purchased other branded beef products. Approximately one-half of the beef consumers indicated that they make their meat purchase decisions in the store. The characteristics of beef that are important to the consumers when purchasing beef are price, quality, and appearance of the beef. Therefore, competitive pricing, packaging that highlights the product, and point of purchase material that focuses on the brand concept are very important to the positioning and marketing of the new branded beef product.Consumer/Household Economics,

Economic Impacts of Restricted Animal Movements in Mexico Due to Increased Mexican Regional Bovine Health Criteria

Tuberculosis restrictions on animal movement have important implications for Mexican producers and consumers as well as the U.S. beef cattle industry. The restrictions cause decreased Mexican cattle exports, increased domestic fed beef production, and decreased fed beef imports. The Mexican beef industry incurs greater costs due to increased interregional cattle and meat shipments and changes in regional beef cattle production in Mexico.Livestock Production/Industries,

A DECISION SUPPORT AID FOR BEEF CATTLE INVESTMENT USING EXPERT SYSTEMS

The beef cattle investment decision provides an excellent opportunity to increase the economic efficiency of beef cattle production. The investment questions that face beef cattle producers are of interest to beef cattle producers, educators, and financial institutions involved in lending to beef cattle producing firms. This study develops a decision support aid utilizing expert system technology to assist beef cattle producers in making well-founded investment decisions with respect to the firm's beef cattle herd.Beef cattle investment, Decision support, Export systems, Livestock Production/Industries,

Hormone-treated beef: Should Britain accept it after Brexit?

This Briefing explains why the use of synthetic, industrially-manufactured hormones in beef production, and the threat of importing hormone-produced beef after Brexit, matter for UK consumers. There is robust scientific evidence showing that meat produced using one key hormone (17β-oestradiol) increases the cancer risk to consumers, while for the rest the available evidence is insufficient to show that their use is acceptably safe. The Briefing outlines the basis of the scientific and policy disputes over the use of supplementary hormones in beef cattle production. It shows that, although the USA is most associated with hormone-reared beef, other countries that want to export their beef to the UK, post Brexit, either allow hormones to be used, or are suspected of doing so. The EU has been reasonably vigilant on consumers’ behalf on this issue, and it has robust scientific grounds for its ban on their use. The risk from beef hormones is one of many issues on which UK consumers have benefited from the EU’s measures to protect public and environmental health. Chlorine-washed chicken is another example

U.S. BEEF TRADE AND PRICE RELATIONSHIPS WITH JAPAN, CANADA, AND MEXICO

U.S. live cattle and beef trade has increased substantially since the mid-1980s. Total beef imports (cattle and beef, dressed weight) increased from 2.51 billion pounds in 1985 to 3.89 billion pounds in 1998. Total beef exports (cattle and beef, dressed weight) increased from 0.42 billion pounds to 2.38 billion pounds over the same period. Consequently, net imports declined by 0.58 billion pounds. On a value basis, U.S. net beef exports (value of total beef exports less the value of total beef imports) has become considerably less negative, increasing by 88 percent from 1980 to 1998. The overall improvement in the U.S. beef trade was characterized, however, by different trade impacts with the major export customers and import suppliers. These countries are Japan, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Trade relationships and beef price effects in this article mainly address those of the first three countries. From 1990 to 1998, U.S. net imports of live cattle and beef (carcass weight) for all countries declined from 9.2 percent to 5.2 percent of total U.S. beef supplies. Given the average market price for that period and the coefficient of price flexibility, this decline implied an increase in nominal slaughter steer price of $4.00/cwt. However, this price effect was offset by other factors in the domestic market, such as large competitive production, increasing dressed weights, increasing wholesale-retail margins, and a decrease in consumer beef demand. Japan constitutes about 54 percent of the export market for U.S. beef. This country has been the fastest growing export market for high-value cuts of U.S. beef; quantities exported increased by 101 percent from 1990 to 1998. Strong economic growth (until 1997), trade liberalization, and changes in dietary preferences account for most of the increase. The result of these expanding exports, as a percentage of total beef disposition, was an increase in slaughter steer price of$1.70/cwt. U.S. beef and live cattle trade with Mexico has improved considerably (until recent import tariffs on U.S. beef); that is, net beef exports were negative at 357 million pounds in 1990 but became positive at 200 million pounds in 1998. Declines in imported Mexican cattle and increases in U.S. beef exports account for the change. Mexico currently accounts for nearly 20 percent of U.S. beef exports. The result of erasing the trade deficit over the 1990 to 1998 period was an increase in slaughter price of $2.12/cwt. The U.S.-Mexican net trade position in beef and live cattle may remain volatile in the future, however. The U.S. net beef trade position with Canada has declined considerably. Including trade in live cattle and beef, net imports from Canada increased from 2.7 percent to 5.2 percent of U.S. beef supplies from 1990 to 1998. In general, imports (cattle and beef) have significantly increased, while exports (cattle and beef) have increased little over this period. Reasons for the increased deficit include Canadian grain policies and feedlot expansion, U.S. excess capacity in meatpacking, a strong U.S. dollar and intercountry price differentials. The result was a reduction in U.S. slaughter price of$2.55/cwt. Economists, however, consider the U.S.-Canadian beef markets to be highly integrated. Thus, reducing the trade deficit may have little impact on U.S. slaughter price. Overall, U.S. trade in live cattle and beef has not reached the same importance as that of grain. Nevertheless, U.S. export and import quantities measured as a percentage of supplies or disposition imply that producer price effects are not zero. Domestic factors of beef dressed weights, red meat and poultry production, beef margins, feed costs, and consumer beef demand still dominate the price determination picture. The provisional tariff imposed on Canadian exports of live cattle, but recently removed by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), would have slightly increased U.S. price and decreased Canadian price. But with compensating Canadian carcasses and beef entering the U.S. market, and increased slaughter costs, the gains may have been nullified.International Relations/Trade,

Brand Equity in the Australian domestic beef market

Branding remains in a fairly nascent state within the Australian domestic beef market. Several brands have begun to emerge in recent years including Certified Angus, 1824, Hereford Prime, Stockyard Beef and Diamantina. However, these primarily cater for restaurant rather than household trade. This contrasts with other countries, such as the US, where branded beef makes up a large proportion of the domestic market. Using random parameter logit models we examine the willingness of consumers to pay for one type of branded beef, as well specific beef attributes, in a regional area of NSW. We find that there is evidence that segments of the population would be willing to pay for branded beef. The value of the brand is related to several sociodemographic characteristics, as well as attitudinal variables.Agricultural and Food Policy, Marketing,

THE EFFECTS OF THE BSE OUTBREAK IN THE UNITED STATES ON THE BEEF AND CATTLE INDUSTRY

On December 23, 2003, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), widely known as 'mad cow disease,' was found in the state of Washington. Major beef importing countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Mexico, banned imports of beef and beef products produced in the United States. A single case of BSE occurred on May 20, 2003, in Canada, prompting the United States to close its border to Canadian beef products. Prior to these BSE outbreaks in North America, the disease was detected in the United Kingdom and Japan. U.S. consumer response to the BSE outbreak in Washington is unknown. However, the previous cases which occurred in the United Kingdom and Japan indicate that the BSE outbreaks reduced domestic consumption of beef produced in the countries and increased beef imports from BSE-free countries, suggesting that consumers in the United States may respond negatively to the BSE outbreak and reduce their consumption of beef. Based on consumer response to BSE outbreaks in the United Kingdom and Japan, the BSE outbreak in Washington could reduce domestic consumption by 10% and exports by 75%, which could decrease the price of beef about 15%, from 370cents/lb in the third quarter of 2003 to 313.7cents/lb. However, prices of pork and chicken would increase about 3%, as consumers in this country switch from beef to pork and chicken consumption. The decreased consumption and export of beef will affect prices of slaughter and feeder cattle accordingly. The price of slaughter cattle would decrease about 13.5%, and the price of feeder cattle would decrease about 16% in the United States. If there are additional BSE outbreaks in the United States, the impacts will be much more significant. Domestic consumption of beef could decrease more than 20%, and U.S. exports would shutdown completely. In this case, the domestic price of beef could decrease 26%. Prices of slaughter and feeder cattle would decrease accordingly, about 20.9% and 24.5%, respectively, which could destroy the U.S. beef and cattle industry. To isolate a future BSE outbreak in the region, it is important to improve traceability of the infected animals by introducing both country of origin and regional labeling and preserve it through the supply chain. If the labeling system is developed for the United States, and if U.S. processors could segregate cattle based on its origin by labeling, the impacts of BSE outbreaks on the U.S. beef/cattle industry could be less prominent. Labeling would allow U.S. and foreign consumers to distinguish beef coming from BSE-free regions in the United States.Production Economics,

Effect of information about organic production on beef liking and consumer willingness to pay

The present study was aimed to assess the effect of information about organic production on beef liking and consumer willingness to pay. Mean scores of perceived liking were higher for organic beef (OB) as compared to conventional beef (CB). Expected liking scores were higher for OB than for CB. For OB the expected liking was significantly higher than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (negative disconfirmation), whereas for CB no difference was observed. Consumers completely assimilated their liking for OB in the direction of expectations. Consumers showed a willingness to pay for OB higher than the suggested price (P < 0.001), the latter corresponding to the local commercial value for organic beef. We conclude that the information about organic farming can be a major determinant of beef liking, thus providing a potential tool for meat differentiation to traditional farms