Press Release - Innovative forequarter seam cutting will generate more money for processors than mince

Innovative forequarter seam cutting will generate more money for processors than mince.
May 13th 2009

The National Beef Association is urging processors to take a leaf out of the United States’ book and initiate research into generating more value from the carcase.
It says that instead of calling on taxpayers to secure positive margins for them through the re-installation of coupled subsidy, abattoir owners should invest in discovering which potentially high value cuts are being wasted by being chucked into the mincer – and then persuade their retail customers to add these to their orders.
“Cattle are already more expensive than they were, and will get even more expensive in future, so the purchasing problem that abattoirs face can only be reduced by making the carcase they buy more valuable,” explained NBA director, Kim Haywood.
“Last month researchers in the United States identified more, hitherto unused, tender muscles in the forequarter and are encouraging processors to remove these to sell as individual cuts when they break down the carcase.”
“No processing company in the UK is going to get rich if it continues to sell almost half the carcase as mince but if these new cuts are retailed as a high value product, similar in cost to rump steak, a greater proportion of the carcase can be sold at higher prices and purchasing cattle at current, and future, cost will be less of a problem to abattoir owners.”
“Some years ago US scientists identified the so-called flat iron steak and two other cuts taken from forequarter muscle on the outside of the chuck and as a result around £35 were added to the value of each carcase processed.”
“More recently three more new muscles have been identified within the chuck roll. They have been named the Delmoncio Steak or Chuck Eye, the Denver Cut, and the Sierra and if processors remove each of these by seam cutting, and they are then retailed at a much higher price than mince, then more people in the beef supply chain will make more money.”
“Research attention in the US is now focusing on the round which along with the chuck accounts for around half of the total carcase weight but only 25 per cent of its current value.”
“It is hoped that the identification of more new, non-mince or stewing steak cuts in the forequarter, will add another £15 to £25 value to the carcase.”
“It is unfortunate that the UK’s processing sector has fallen so far behind in adopting this type of innovation but that is a hangover of the old subsidy system which stifled many, much needed, new initiatives.”
“All this can change if abattoir managers join with retailers in a determined effort to widen the disappointingly narrow range of beef cuts currently offered at store level in the UK,” Ms Haywood added.

For more information contact:
Kim Haywood, NBA director.  Tel. 0131 336 1754