Mon, 25 Apr 2016 Ffermio

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-Hello and a warm welcome to Ffermio.

-It's Beef Industry Week.

-During the programme, we'll look

-at different parts of the sector.

-I've come to Osgodby Grange Farm

-in Selby near York...

-..for a Stabiliser Cattle open day.

-We'll find out how the system

-on this farm links the supply chain.

-Also on the programme, we see

-how one farm near Llandysul...

-..has developed another side

-to its business...

-..by adding value to male calves

-from its dairy herd.

-Conditions in the beef market...

-..have been very challenging

-over the past few months.

-Meinir assesses how things are now.

-Here at Sennybridge market...

-..600 beef calves are expected

-to go under the hammer today.

-People within the sector

-are worried at the moment...

-..as prices fall to their

-lowest level for five years.

-Selling nine calves

-at the market and show today...

-..is Gethin Havard,

-Llwynrhys Farm, Sennybridge.

-We're in a very odd situation today.

-Two years ago, producers here

-would receive over 2,000...

-..for their biggest beef cattle.

-Today, the price for the same animal

-is down to 1,400.

-That's a difference of 700,

-so it's not a good situation.

-Farmers are asking for a fair price

-for everyone on the supply chain.

-A fair price, but also more honesty

-within the supply chain.

-I've had a run-in with Waitrose

-about their Duchy Organic brand.

-I think they're being misleading.

-Customers have the right to know

-exactly where meat comes from...

-..and about the standards

-of production.

-Knowing those things...

-..they won't find anything better

-than beef produced in Wales.

-I was the chairman of...

-..the Brecon and Radnor Suckled Calf

-Association for over 15 years.

-When I started...

-..there was a suckling herd on

-almost every farm in these valleys.

-These days, some valleys

-don't have any suckling herds.

-Others have just a few.

-As it stands,

-the future looks very fragile...

-..for those in the industry.

-What do you think is the answer?

-There's no point sending meat...

-..that has been reared

-with such care into the mass market.

-It has to go into a niche market.

-Over the years, people's eating

-habits have changed considerably.

-More of us are looking

-for quick ready meals.

-As a consequence...

-..beef is no longer at the top

-of people's shopping lists.

-Responsibility for marketing Welsh

-beef lies with Meat Promotion Wales.

-Its Head of Operations

-is Prys Morgan.

-There is a lot of pressure

-on the price of beef at the moment.

-This is due to a number of factors.

-The number of animals being

-slaughtered is similar to last year.

-But it includes a lot of DIVA cattle

-and they've flooded the market.

-The strength of the pound

-against the Euro...

-..though it's decreased lately...

-..has sucked in

-quite a bit of Irish beef.

-They are 6% higher.

-How do you react...

-..to the abattoirs' demand

-for lighter carcases?

-They are reacting

-to the market demand.

-Farmers must be sensitive to these

-demands before selling their stock.

-We might have

-to adapt the system somewhat...

-..to meet these demands.

-With the market as it is,

-customers want the pack price down.

-A smaller cut will sell better...

-..and, ultimately,

-that will benefit the industry.

-How much work do you do

-with the supermarkets...

-..to ensure they support Welsh beef?

-We work with the supermarkets,

-as we do with the butchers.

-We promote Welsh beef...

-..to make sure it gets a prominent

-place on the shelves of our shops.

-Do pamphlets and posters

-make any difference at all?

-Our work is for the long term,

-we must bear that in mind.

-We want to make sure

-that the customer...

-..is fully aware

-of the availability of Welsh beef.

-We want them to know

-it's of the highest quality.

-Ultimately, we have to compete

-in terms of quality.

-I don't think trying to compete

-in terms of price will help anyone.

-This afternoon at Sennybridge...

-..the average prices are some 150

-a head cheaper than last year.

-What do the farmers make of the day?

-We have to work out our figures.

-If we don't make around 700-800

-for a steer or a heifer...

-..then there's no point

-rearing them at all.

-It costs around that much

-to feed them during the winter...

-..and put them out

-to pasture in the summer.

-A lot of suckling calves

-have sold for 500 or 600 today.

-To me, those figures

-just don't add up.

-So many imports come in.

-We can't compete

-with these foreign imports.

-I'm down by 100

-or 120 from last year.

-A lot of beef is coming in

-from overseas at 3 a kilo.

-There's no sense in that.

-We're only getting 3.20 today.

-I was selling some of my best steers

-two months ago.

-The same age

-as the ones selling today.

-There's a 200 a head drop in value

-between today and February.

-This is the harvest

-for a lot of these farmers.

-It'll be another year before

-they sell as many cattle again.

-Some people are down

-many thousands today...

-..but the things we have to buy

-don't drop in price.

-At the end of the sale, Gethin

-takes stock of the sale as a whole.

-It's a relief that we did manage

-to sell most of the animals.

-I think we got some fair prices

-considering the state of the market.

-We're hearing that some sellers

-are down 100 or 200.

-You only really need two bidders

-to make for a good market.

-We are very lucky to have the

-same buyers coming back every year.

-But unless things improve

-in the next few months...

-..they may not be here next year.

-What future do you see

-for the industry?

-If people just want cheap food,

-none at all for hill farming.

-I won't mince my words.

-We'll never be able to match

-other parts of the world...

-..in terms of efficiency...

-..with their massive

-chicken and pig sheds.

-China is preparing to develop...

-..dairy herds

-of some 100,000 cows.

-Russia is talking about

-sow herds of 1.2 million.

-What hope is there

-for a rural farmer in Wales...

-..with 25-30 cattle

-and 300-400 sheep?

-None at all.

-Welcome back to the

-Stabiliser Cattle open day...

-..here at Osgodby Grange Farm.

-Today has been jointly organized

-by the farmer...

-..Morrisons supermarkets

-and the Stabiliser Cattle Company.

-The aim of the day...

-..is to show how the breed can work

-effectively within the supply chain.

-For two years now, this farm has

-taken cattle from 16 Welsh farms...

-..and finished fattening them.

-They're then graded

-by the Stabiliser Cattle Company.

-When ready,

-they are taken to the abattoir.

-One farmer

-who brings his cattle here...

-..is Trevor Parry,

-Bodgaeaf Farm, Bryncroes, Lleyn.

-We wean the cattle

-at home by November.

-We wean them young, at the end

-of September, beginning of October.

-We keep them home for a month

-until all the coughing has stopped.

-We move them here

-sometime in early November.

-They are here until they are ready

-to be taken away.

-How old are they

-when they arrive here?

-We calve in April, so mine

-are seven or eight months old.

-How many will you bring here

-to the finishing unit?

-I brought 48 this year.

-Basically,

-what they are doing...

-..is offering an interim

-B&B service for cattle.

-Yes, indeed.

-They come here

-and we pay for their B&B...

-..before they are slaughtered.

-By doing it this way,

-we keep track of our cattle.

-Otherwise, we would sell them

-and lose any contact.

-This way, we are still involved

-in the production process.

-Do they have to be

-of a certain weight or age...

-..before being slaughtered?

-Bulls in the Woodhead

-Yearling Beef scheme...

-..must be between

-a year and 14 months.

-They are slaughtered

-between 320 and 370 kilos.

-What's the financial advantage

-of doing it this way?

-I'm not sure there is

-much financial advantage.

-Is there one?

-It's better than

-what we did previously...

-..but it's still only

-making a bad job a bit better.

-Doug Dear is the farmer here.

-He won a British Farming Award

-for this venture last year.

-Every year,

-they fatten 1,500 cattle.

-They are mostly Stabilisers

-but there are other breeds as well.

-The supply chain

-is down to three steps.

-The producers bring the cattle in.

-I feed them, then there's

-the processor at the end.

-It's vertically integrated.

-We're taking out a lot of cost

-in the supply chain.

-Morrisons and Woodheads know

-what cattle are coming in and out.

-That's all factored in.

-I know what I've got coming in.

-We're all happy and all

-in the supply chain together.

-We're proving we can do

-a proper job with these cattle.

-We have excellent links

-with the supply chain.

-If we all work together,

-we can grow this business.

-Does this make farming easier?

-Is there a load lifted off you?

-It's certainly created

-some space at home.

-We needed a shed to increase

-the herd and this has done that.

-Less work physically too.

-One job less, at least.

-Do you sleep easier?

-I sleep easier

-when they leave here...

-..and the money arrives

-to pay a few of this season's bills.

-That's all for now.

-After the break,

-more from this day in Selby...

-..and a new venture

-on a farm in Llandysul.

-See you in a minute.

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-Welcome back to Ffermio at Osgodby

-Grange Farm, Selby, North Yorkshire.

-As well as seeing how the 600 cattle

-are being fattened...

-..we're also here to see

-how the food chain unravels...

-..all the way

-from the farmer to the supermarket.

-One of the crucial factors

-for the cattle is diet.

-Iwan Vaughan from the Wynnstay Group

-advises them here.

-There are a lot of young bulls

-on this farm today from North Wales.

-Wynnstay helped the farmers to

-regulate their diets in North Wales.

-I've followed them here.

-I help Doug with their diets

-here in Selby.

-How much of a difference

-does the diet make to the cattle?

-We try to put plenty of energy

-into the diet and include starch.

-We want them to grow quickly and for

-the cost to be as low as possible.

-We look at cost per kilogram

-of daily liveweight gain...

-..and the cost

-of producing that beef.

-How's it going today?

-Very well. These bulls look spot on.

-They've grown well. The daily

-liveweight gain is on target.

-We're very happy with that.

-It's also an excellent day to

-show off the bulls at their best...

-..and the good work

-Doug does with them.

-From where have you come?

-From close to Llanrwst.

-Do you bring cattle here?

-We do. This is our second year

-being involved with the system.

-Are you pleased with the system?

-Very pleased. It doesn't cost

-any more than having them at home.

-In Wales, we live a long way

-from the feed and the abattoirs.

-It's cheaper to take the animals

-to the feed and the abattoirs.

-It may not save us money

-but it does free up shed space...

-..and frees up time for us too.

-Are you pleased

-with what you've seen today?

-Very happy.

-Have they come along

-as you'd expect?

-Yes, they've done really well.

-They've averaged 1.7 kilos a day

-since they've been here.

-How many will you bring next year?

-We brought 44 this year,

-which is every one we had.

-All our young bulls.

-You're happy then.

-You're happy then.

-

-Yes. Yes.

-Next, Alun takes us

-to Llwyndafydd, near Llandysul.

-We stay with beef,

-but this is a little bit different.

-Often, there's very little value

-to bull calves in a dairy herd.

-But James and Trudy Davies

-from Cwmcynon Farm, Llwyndafydd...

-..have set about changing that

-by producing rose veal.

-They started keeping the calves

-in November 2013...

-..starting with a handful of them.

-There are now 87 on the farm.

-They're all bought

-as locally as possible...

-..within 30 miles of the farm.

-We did have suckler cows.

-We kept around 20 suckler cows.

-We decided

-we wanted more store cattle.

-We decided to buy

-bucket-fed calves.

-We began buying

-a few Friesian calves.

-Trudy saw an article in the paper...

-..about rose veal by Buitelaar.

-So we decided to look into it.

-What exactly is rose veal?

-It's different to veal.

-Yes, it is.

-It's beef but it's pink.

-It's somewhere between

-chicken and beef.

-In terms of how it looks.

-In terms of how it looks.

-

-Yes.

-It's good for you.

-How many did you start with?

-Only around 12-15.

-It's been tough. Very tough.

-You buy them in

-but have nothing to sell.

-For a year.

-For a year.

-

-A year?

-The point is, it's not a year.

-You look at it long term.

-It's two or three years

-before the business picks up.

-The more that go in a month,

-the better.

-We started

-by doing it on a small scale.

-If we sold two a month,

-we tried to buy four calves back.

-You replace and you also increase.

-This is a great pen of calves.

-We've been lucky.

-We had very nice calves

-from one person.

-We're very happy with them.

-From what I know about dairy herds,

-these are Friesians.

-They look like Friesians.

-They don't look like Holsteins.

-Does that make a difference for you?

-We prefer British Friesians.

-They turn out better calves,

-at the end of the day.

-From where do you get all the food?

-The coarse mixture comes from

-Cynwyl Elfed, not far from here.

-They're given coarse mixture

-straight after they arrive here.

-They're given milk

-until they're eight weeks old...

-..and then we reduce it

-by half a litre a day.

-They're given

-two and a half litres of water...

-..and powder

-to make it up to three litres.

-At the age of eight weeks,

-it's cut by half a litre a day.

-After the final half a litre,

-it's finished - it's weaned.

-I mix this - half and half

-with the coarse mixture...

-..when they're two weeks old.

-We then move them to a pen

-and they're on this.

-They'll be on it until they leave.

-What's in this? It's a mixture.

-What's in this? It's a mixture.

-

-Cereals mostly.

-Oats, wheat, barley,

-sugar beat, palm kernel, molasses...

-..um, minerals...

-..and yeast.

-The reason for a diet

-with no silage or grass...

-..is to keep

-the quality of this meat.

-It's to keep it pink.

-The more silage and grass

-they're given, the redder the meat.

-They're tame.

-They're tame.

-

-They are.

-We're here every day

-talking to them.

-Some of them

-will be going in a month.

-OK.

-Behind us is a group

-that's due to leave now.

-They're meant to be going on Monday.

-They're meant to be going on Monday.

-

-OK.

-I can see a difference

-but it isn't marked.

-They're heavier.

-What's your usual target?

-It's usually over 440kg.

-We aim for 460kg.

-Wow!

-It's the weight that decides

-when they go, not their age.

-Yes, but they go

-if they're fairly close.

-Yes, it's the weight.

-We weigh them all before they go.

-As well as the calves,

-the couple keep around 100 sheep.

-In the summer,

-they go from show to show...

-..judging and exhibiting

-Texel sheep.

-Trujim is the name of the flock.

-They've had lots of success

-over the years.

-We first bought a few ewes

-off Sue and Ronald, Meinigwynion.

-That's really where we established.

-We bought a few in Builth as well.

-We've just built up from there

-to where we are now.

-You keep a few Beltexes as well.

-We've got a handful of them but

-we're hoping to build them up too.

-How has it been this year? It was a

-tough winter for some of the sheep.

-It was quite tough.

-We had a shed where they could

-come in for lambing.

-Before I met Trudy,

-Carmarthen was far for me.

-Going further than Carmarthen

-was like going abroad!

-Now, going to Lanark, Carlisle

-or Skipton is nothing.

-Yes.

-Meeting friends.

-Is that where you go

-for new bloodlines?

-Yes. We try to buy a ram.

-We try to buy one every year

-or every other year.

-James and Trudy have been producing

-rose veal for two and a half years.

-How much difference

-do they see between this system...

-..and farming suckler cows?

-I'll put it this way -

-we're inside.

-If it's raining outside, we can be

-with them all day feeding them.

-We're not out in the rain.

-We don't use as much fertilizer

-as they don't go outside...

-..and they're not given

-any silage or grass.

-So we don't have those costs.

-As well as that,

-we think it's easier.

-Give these milk in the morning,

-and you've finished.

-I think you both derive

-a lot of pleasure from this change.

-We do.

-We see a difference, don't we,

-in the calves?

-Yes.

-Sometimes,

-you see a nice calf come in.

-Then it goes through a gangly stage,

-as Trudy calls it.

-When they're in the other sheds,

-they change.

-Every time you move them,

-they change.

-What's next? Do you have the numbers

-you want or do you want to increase?

-We're thinking

-of going up to 150-200.

-So what about the future

-for both of you?

-Does it look rosy?

-I hope, because that's what we want!

-You learn something every day.

-Being here today

-has been an eye-opener.

-Thanks for your company.

-I hope you have a good week.

-Until next time, goodbye.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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