club meeting

Blues Do The Italian Job

Cattle exporter Brendan Kelly is adamant Blue bred stock are ideal for the Italian market, but finding enough stock stymies the trade.

Enjoying the speakers at the Spring meeting

Addressing a British Blue Cattle Breeders Club meeting in Moira Brendan said getting decent number of matching cattle was very difficult in Northern Ireland.

Visitors to Moira for the Spring Meeting

“Until Bluetongue Disease became a problem I was able to source excellent batches of cattle in northern England, a region of large farms with excellent stockmen, who take a real pride in their suckler herds. Going onto a Cumbrian farm and finding 50 matching cattle that would finish grades E or U was a delight.

Cyril Armstrong and Gary Hawkes, Omagh and Con Williamson, Crumlin enjoying a cuppa

“However Blue Tongue vaccination was not taken seriously enough in the north country and now the Italians are instead seeking stock from the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland.

Simon Loughrey, Limavady and Jim Neill, Crossgar enjoy a chat

“Buyers tell me the Republic is 10 years ahead of us in Northern Ireland as regards breeding cattle for live exports. Here too many farmers put a good Blue to a mediocre cow with a Holstein or Angus background and think the calf is going to grade E or U.

Harold McKee, Secretary, Northern Ireland Blue Cattle Club presents the proceeds of a collection at the Club's Spring Meeting to Naomi Gregg from Ahoghill. Naomi is raising funds for Friends of Romania and will be traveling there in the summer to help in an Orphanage.

“Well it simply will not happen and for live exports only the very best will do as the Italians can import 750,000 stock from France to finish each year, cattle that arrive in consistent batches like peas in a pod.

Johnny, David and Philip Young, three generations of the Young Family from Ballynahinch

“Yes, I can find excellent young stock here sired by British Blue bulls, but in tiny numbers on each farm. NI suckler herds are small so even a man using proper suckler cows with that ideal Blue bull is only going to have a handful the same age and weight.

Brendan Kelly, centre spoke on Live Exports at the meeting and is pictured here with Robert Johnston, Chairman of the Club and Barry Drainey, Gilford, Blue Breeder

“Running around farms trying to find matches and make up a load is time consuming, especially as some folk keep any heifer that gets in calf by accident as a suckler herd replacement.”

Robert Johnston, right, Chairman, Northern Ireland Blue Cattle Club with the two speakers at the Club's Spring Meeting: Brendan Kelly, left, Ballymena, who spoke on Live Exports and Marcus Scott, Norbrook Laboratories who spoke on Worm Control

Continuing Brendan, who farms extensively near Ballymena, urged herd owners to ensure suckler cows were of the same quality as the excellent British Blue bulls so many used.

Marcus Scott, centre, Norbrook Laboratories spoke on Worm Control at the Northern Ireland Blue Cattle Club Spring Meeting and he is pictured with Robert Johnston, Chairman, Northern Ireland Blue Cattle Club and Ivan Gordon, Kilkeel, Blue Breeder

Marcus Scott, centre, Norbrook Laboratories spoke on Worm Control, he is pictured with Robert Johnston, Chairman, Northern Ireland Blue Cattle Club and Ivan Gordon, Kilkeel, Blue Breeder

“If meat plants will not pay a decent price then farmers either gradually go out of the business or produce stock exported live when the pound is weak to bring competition back into the market place.

“Stock based on a Blue bull put to three quarter Limousin or half Blue suckler cows and producing calves in batches ideally in autumn as well as spring.

Catching up on the British Blue chat at the meeting were Francis O'Hare and Dan Rogers, Ballymartin; Oliver McGuinness, Eglinton and Ashley Graham, Broughshane

“Beef producers need competition in the market place at a time when only a quarter of stock are inside the box meat plant owners have set for grades that get a bonus. As farmers we need to cease being price takers and have a means of making prices move in the marketplace.

“Currently Italian finishers only want bulls of 400kg at most, but over the next few weeks I will again be buying if the right stock in decent numbers can be found.

“Due to DARD rules I cannot buy for export in the marts and for stock under a year old must do one TB export status test with older lots also requiring a Brucellosis teat.

“I wonder do our senior civil servants and ministers realise that the rest of Europe perceives the UK as the place that lets all sorts of dodgy livestock in yet has masses of red tape to make exports difficult?

“That may not be entirely true, but it is how we are seen abroad and why the Italians buy from the Irish Republic. They are afraid to buy across the water due to disease and here in NI we need to make that massive jump forward as regards herd size and quality of calves produced.

Naomi Gregg, Ahoghill with David Young, Ballynahinch at the
Northern Ireland Blue Cattle Club Spring Meeting. Naomi is raising money for Friends of Romania who support Orphanages there and will travel there in the summer. A collection was taken up at the meeting

“If we do the job properly there is a good market for young Blue sired stock out of real suckler cows. A market giving a return that puts pressure on meat companies to pay the same at factories here as those they run across the water supplying the exact same supermarkets.”

In closing Brendan Kelly urged Northern Ireland farmers to be very careful when it came to bringing in stock as diseases such as Blue Tongue are on our doorstep.

Commenting at question time several farmers wondered aloud if DARD was too close to meat plants as government policy seemed to be against sales through marts and live exports.

Does the future of primary producers not matter to those in power?