AJB Temple
Sequoia
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2019
- Messages
- 6,327
- Reaction score
- 289
- Name
- Adrian
We recently bought a 5 bone, rib of beef. 100% grass fed (PFL certified), organic and 35 day aged. Local farm. High welfare. Almost wagyu quality. Retail this is £240 ish (not what we pay). I had a beer next door with the butcher on Friday and, as it happens the farmer who supplies the beef. Retail price for prime grass fed rib from a small top quality butcher who knows his stuff, is around £35 a kilo.
The farmer said that it is becoming very difficult to compete with imports of beef and pork from the EU and fringe states. He gave an example of another butcher I know who operates out of garden centres and a warehouse. They are currently selling fore rib of beef for £17.95 a kilo retail and will discount that to trade by at least 20%. They also claim it is grass fed but there is no certification of that and is sold as "British finished" meat because the carcass is processed in Kent, which is allowed apparently as long as it is labelled (in minute print) as not GB reared. Our farmers and meat producers are bound to struggle as the tide of farm-washing by the wholesalers and retailers takes over.
Maybe it doesn't matter and price is everything.
The farmer said that it is becoming very difficult to compete with imports of beef and pork from the EU and fringe states. He gave an example of another butcher I know who operates out of garden centres and a warehouse. They are currently selling fore rib of beef for £17.95 a kilo retail and will discount that to trade by at least 20%. They also claim it is grass fed but there is no certification of that and is sold as "British finished" meat because the carcass is processed in Kent, which is allowed apparently as long as it is labelled (in minute print) as not GB reared. Our farmers and meat producers are bound to struggle as the tide of farm-washing by the wholesalers and retailers takes over.
Maybe it doesn't matter and price is everything.