Midleton, Co Cork-based pedigree Aberdeen Angus breeder John Tait has found his own way of dealing with the Irish beef factories. Instead of picketing Irish beef export plants for better prices and conditions, he is bypassing them – apart, that is, from getting his cattle killed in a small abattoir on contract.

The carcase beef is then exported directly to a customer who retails beef in London and Brussels. The middle man is cut out of the equation.

It started back in 2009 when John Tait wanted a better price for his pedigree heifers, which were surplus to market demand at that time. Encouraged by the nearby Ballymaloe restaurant and other local outlets, he launched John Tait’s Quality Assured Angus Beef, which was targeted at the domestic market.

Two years later, when new export markets led to a doubling of the prices for pedigree Angus heifers, John switched to Angus cross cattle.

Trial and error led him to the conclusion that Angus cross Holstein Friesian was the best carcase for his market, as Holsteins share the marbling trait with the Aberdeen Angus.

While gaining a reputation for delivering consistent product for the home market, John was approached at the start of 2013 to supply Angus beef to a client who was planning to open butcher outlets in Brussels and London.

He looked at retail prices, did his sums on the cost of slaughter and transport, went over to London and stuck to his guns on the price he wanted.

Initially the business started with three to five carcases every two to three weeks. This grew to 10, and more recently to about 15 carcases every three weeks.

In the early days, John delivered the beef in quarter carcases, or pistola hinds, via chilled groupage. More recently, his abattoir has been cutting the carcases according to his customers’ specs and the beef is transported in chilled boxes. This has brought transport cost down to about €50 an animal.

As the export trade grew, John was unable to fill the demand from his own finishing unit. He has set up an arrangement with two outside finishers who feed and deliver the animals according to the spec of his retail customer.

This includes the usual quality assurance requirements on age, movements, etc, plus an insistence that meals are fed for the 90 days pre-slaughter, both at grass and in the shed. It is desired that the carcases grade at least O for conformation and ideally 3+ or 4 for fat.

“The heavier the carcases, the better, with most averaging 350kg,” according to John. The cattle are sold at a significant agreed premium, based on a weekly reference taken from the Irish Farmers Journal.

Growing business

This premium is not disclosed, except to remark that both he and his export customer are very comfortable with it and the business is growing for them both.

“I get great pleasure meeting and speaking to the customers for my beef in the shops in London and Brussels, and also in showing customers around my farm,” said John, who is currently president of the Irish Aberdeen Angus Association.

John also won the Bord Bia beef farmer of the year award in 1999. He finds the direct link to the eventual consumer of his product immensely useful.

John does not think that other Irish cattle farmers can follow his lead and deal directly with the end user.

He is concerned about over-dependence on a single customer. But developing his retail beef business both at home and abroad has been a huge learning experience.

Armed with the nuts and bolts for export trading in beef, he has the confidence to take on new ventures. He has the formula.

Right on cue, he has other interesting approaches for his Angus beef from retail outlets in Portugal and Malaysia. He believes that these inquiries are coming on the back of the growing reputation being enjoyed by Irish beef.