Major changes are taking place in all sectors of the livestock and meat producing industries
from farm to consumer which impinge on the processes and pattems of livestock distribution
from farm to slaughter. These changes are identified and described.
A farm business survey of lowland beef and sheep finishers was undertaken, prior to the
2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak, to gain a better understanding of farm business behaviour
in order to model the farm business strategies in relation to aggregate livestock channel
utilisation. Statistically robust and predictive models using a number of derived latent
strategic variables, distilling marketing and business orientations, were used in an adapted
multivariate approach. Group profiling confirmed consistency with the cluster profiles.
Results show that both lowland beef and sheep producers can be statistically classified into
three distinct strategic groups. The marketing approaches that farm businesses use vary
according to group membership. For lowland beef producers these are described as selling
orientation, buyer focus and differentiation strategies. Sellers view beef production as a
minor enterprise to provide supplementary farm income, but fail to meet procurement
requirements and are limited to channel utilisation. Buyer focus are production orientated,
understand distribution, have good market knowledge and meet procurement standards.
Differentiators have similar attributes to buyer focus, but are more likely to differentiate
and add value and actively seek markets to which they can sell. Lowland sheep producer
strategies are described as opportunist, production and differentiation. Opportunists have
similar attributes to sellers, and fail to meet or understand procurement requirements.
Producers are as production orientated as buyer focus, but have poorer market and
distribution knowledge and tend to focus primarily on production concerns. Differentiators,
as with beef finishers, are more likely to differentiate and add value and actively seek
markets to which they can sell.
The developed typologies reveal that farm business marketing behaviour changes according to
group membership and this has a significant influence on aggregate channel utilisation within
the Far South West. For some fanners it would appear that channel utilisation is predetermined