DEAR SIR: I’m confused and you might be able to help me. I farm a small beef enterprise and send cattle to the factory which is where the confusion starts.

Currently, beef prices are low at under €4/kg. When an animal is sent to the factory it has to go through a lot of stages before it is slaughtered and its carcase is quality assured and weighed. This carcase forms the basis for what the farmer gets in money.

So an animal at liveweight of 700kg kills out at 50%. Example, 350kg x €4/kg equals €1,400. Now this is for the beef only but there is still 350kg of leftovers, ie offal, hide, head c/w eyes, tongue, etc, and other parts that are of value.

My point is that the factory can make more money on all the leftovers of the animal provided by the farmer and the farmer only gets paid for the carcase of beef. Why is this accepted and how are the factories allowed to do this?