Call for a re-allocation of subsidies to stem a tide of decline in England's beef herd

Britain's beef herd has reduced in size by 5% in the last year and 13% in the ten years before that. Our recent Meat Industry Manifesto details what that might mean for British food security going forward.

To stem that declining trend, the CEO of the National Beef Association, Neil Shand has proposed, in a Farming Today interview, that England introduces a similar system to that in Scotland (and Wales, Northern Ireland and the EU) where each beef calf would attract a £100 'headage' payment. This, he explains, would not be additional funding, which is in short supply at the moment, but would come from money that's already been committed to agricultural support but not yet been spent.

Mr Shand warns of dropping to a point where "critical mass starts being a production challenge for processors and retailers" saying that "we don't want them to start going looking elsewhere overseas."

This erosion of our domestic food security and increased reliance on vulnerable international supply chains is something we have warned about in our Manifesto. We also explain what could happen if we reach that tipping point that Mr Shand references. You can listen to the whole interview via the link below. Also, keep listening to the segment after, which discusses reactions to the announcement of a review into Defra's regulations and regulators.

Listen from 4:53 minutes