Ron Stainthorpe and Janice Trott with their winning carcase
More than 100 carcases were entered for the Dovecote Park producers competition resulting in fierce competition and a difficult job for judges, Steve Peaty, head of operations, MLC, Alex Stoughton-Harrison, Waitrose beef buyer and Phil Hutchinson, head of procurement at Hawksmoor Restaurants.
Laurie Ibbotson, assistant managing director of Dovecote Park explained why the company runs the competition.
She said: "草榴社区 are very proud of what they do and it is a great way for them to showcase what they are producing, but it is also a great social event and an opportunity for them to get together.
"Farming can be very isolating and we want to support our producers. They are under a lot of pressure at the moment. The beef price has been good but margins are tight. The working capital needed to buy replacements and run their businesses is phenomenal, along with the volatile weather and increased prices for fuel, fertiliser and other inputs.
"Market signals are that the beef price is not going increase and we are now meeting price resistance from consumers. Unfortunately, we also have competition from imported beef which is being produced to lower standards and flooding the bottom end of the market.
"But on the positive side, consumers want to buy British and are increasingly conscious of having a healthy diet and there is a strong demand for protein.
"Plus, they are not eating out as much, preferring to eat a better quality product at home and are prepared to pay a premium for it."
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Dovepark Park听 deals with a large number of farmers many of whose families have been supplying the company since it was set up in 1997.
Ms Ibbotson said: "In some cases we are dealing with second and third generations of families and we value small farms as much as big ones.
"Everything is built on trust and fair trade. We don't have any written contracts, but give producers a rolling forecast as to how many cattle we will be able to take from them.
"We only take steers and heifers which are under 30 months old with a deadweight of 260-420kg and a minimum of 0+4 carcase grade.
"Our focus is on the welfare of the animal from farm through to the lairage and slaughter and producing a premium product.
"We are focused almost entirely on native breeds which are on mainly home-grown grass-based diets. Currently the split is about 70% dairy sired and 30% sucklers but we would like more sucklers in the future."
"We are involved in a number of schemes and research projects, to both support them and the wider industry.
"We need our producers to be there for the long term and it is important that through our producer group we give them the support they need to enable their businesses to remain sustainable and profitable."
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Producer carcase competition winner
The winner of the Dovecote Park producers carcase competition was Ron Stainthorpe, Whitby, with a 354.8kg U4 Aberdeen-Angus cross heifer.
听Mr Stainthorpe farms 350 acres of grass and 150 acres of arable and finishes 400 store cattle near Whitby. The cattle are bought in at 12-18 months of age and are mainly Aberdeen-Angus cross with some Herefords which are sourced either from Ruswarp mart or privately. They all have a summer at grass and are finished all year round at about two and a half years old 10-12 cattle going to Dovecote Park every two weeks.
He said: "I have been supplying Dovecote since they started 20 years ago and have a great relationship with them 鈥� they are like family.
"The main difference between supplying them and other companies is that, unlike some farm assurance schemes, their field officers visit regularly, which is how it should be and it is not a problem.
"Welfare and high standards are important to them and they are prepared to pay a premium to ensure this is met."
A judge's view
Dovecote Park supplies the beef to the Hawksmoor Restaurants across the UK and one of the competition judges was Phil Hutchinson, head of procurement at Hawksmoor Restaurants.
He said: "Farm level traceability is important to us and it was great to meet some of our producers and celebrate with them.
"There have been big changes in the industry of the last 20 years and although national cattle numbers have deceased, we are confident that Dovecote Park will be able to continue the supply us with quality beef and we are proud of the fact we only sell fully traceable sustainably produced grass-fed beef.
"We have had a good start to the year in spite of rising beef prices, which we have had to pass on to customer to a degree, but they are prepared to pay for quality.
"The big difference between our customers and those of retailers is that our customers don't see the steak until it is on the plate and having a consistent supply of quality beef is vital for us."
听"We need producers to be able to invest in their businesses and be thinking in the long term and through Dovecote Park we pay them an appropriate price to ensure that their businesses remain sustainable."
Hawksmoor have teamed up with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and every weekend on its blackboard menu you will find beef from rare and native breeds from named farms.
Mr Hutchinson said: "We want to celebrate and support UK producers as without them we wouldn't have a business."
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