Beef calf registrations in GB have again slipped on the year and the quarter, with the total of 1.94m head down 1.1% on the 2023 total, while the figures for the first three months of 2024 are back 2.3% at 513,000.
The figure includes all calves registered as ‘non-dairy’ on BCMS and out of both suckler and dairy dams.
Within those figures, the long trend towards the Aberdeen Angus – mostly in the dairy herd but also over suckler cows – has continued with cross-bred registrations rising 3.3% and pure-breds by 0.4% from 2022 to 2023.
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In contrast, registrations of the main continental breeds are all down with the number of Limousin crosses falling 8.3% on the year followed by Simmental crosses which slipped 8.1%. The number of Charolais crosses registered in 2023 was down 4.7%.
In saying that, the Limousin remains the second most popular sire with just shy of 321,000 cross-bred calves registered compared to Aberdeen Angus crosses which numbered 455,355 in 2023. British Blue crosses were ranked third with 288,460 registrations, followed by Charolais and Hereford crosses on 143,042 and 131,497 head in 2023 respectively. The Hereford was another winner, with 4872 registrations, up 3.8% on 2022 figures.
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Wagyu and Wagyu cross calf registrations increased the most on the year, with the 35,600 head total, up 108% on 2022 figures – most of which, similar to the Aberdeen Angus, is due to incentivising Wagyu cross calves in the dairy herd.
Looking further ahead, analysis from AHDB points to dairy beef continuing to supply more than 50% of all cattle slaughtered for beef in GB.
Most of Aberdeen Angus crosses (61%) in the table originated from the dairy herd, with 85% of British Blues from dairy females. This compares to the suckler herd in which 80% of Limousin cross calves registered are from the beef herd, with 91% of Charolais crosses bred from suckler cows.
Latest information from Kantar has also found that beef breed call-outs are used in both lower priced and premium lines and retailers.
However, this information on pack remains niche with only 1% of volume sales associated with a breed. Discounters have been building the brand of Aberdeen Angus and Wagyu.
The actual Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), or the distinct type of item for sale count, also decreased from 2022 to 2023 for individual breed call-outs on-pack in retail, but Angus beef has held a strong position. Hereford appears more in premium retailers, whereas Angus can be seen in lower-priced outlets.
Wagyu is also increasing its sales with volumes purchased rising by 29.2% from 2022 to 2023.
The majority of Hereford and Angus SKU’s are for steaks, followed by burgers, whereas Wagyu offerings tend to be dominated by mince products such as burgers and meatballs, driving more value into cheaper cuts.
Meanwhile, the most recent AHDB tracker with YouGov indicated that a particular breed is important for just 12% consumers when buying premium beef, with consumers having more of an affinity with British (important to 39% of consumers). Responses indicate that breed call-out is more of a ‘nice to have’ for many. This sentiment also came out in research on meat labelling, with consumers agreeing a breed call-out would suggest a premium product.
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