Australian Beef - A huge threat to U.K. farmers

I would just like to say that the quality of NZ meat is very high we have plenty of space to feed our stock fully on grass and we have no need to barn the stock in the winter.
Our standards are very high we don’t have mulesing, antibiotics are not used routinely. Growth hormones are banned for use on NZ sheep and use with beef is less than 1%
Not sure where you are getting you information from.
As NZ stock is fully grass fed it is also more sustainable. In regards to shipping miles sending goods long distance by boat is also a relatively sustainable option.
I agree transportation of live animals is unnecessary and cruel NZ has just banned it.
As far as I know Australian meat is also of a high standard.
I can understand anyone who wants to eat local produce I do as much as possible, unfortunately it isn’t always the cheapest option.

MawBe

MaizieD

I did google 'mulesing'. It is barbaric and it doesn't happen in the UK.

Interesting blog post here about sheep care in the UK

www.woolsack.org/welfare

As Kali's unfortunate typo was made when she was referring to 'muscleing' (sp?) it applies to cattle.

What a comfort that you know what Kali2 was talking about and can answer for her

And as I perhaps I would not have ventured (however tactfully) to point out elsewhere, I would agree that muscling probably does not have an “e” in it.

It was obvious what she was talking about, MawB, as we were discussing cattle. But people leapt to the attack before she had a chance to correct her typo.

Anser to Witzend: I don't have reliable statistics for Danish bacon production but I didn't raise a concern about this. I don't eat pork in any shape or form but can only presume that since we import Danish pork products we must think they meet our standards.

I think animal welfare is very important. Unfortunately in many societies money is considered more important and poor treatment of animals is acceptable as long as cheap meat is on the counter.

You seem to be doing what I am. I eat little meat but I'm lucky to have an excellent butcher in my neighbourhood where I occasionally buy British beef and lamb.

Urmstongran of course I accept your apology, Thank you. Crofts indeed do not make enough money to live on. But the history behind this is a while different story.

MaizieD

I did google 'mulesing'. It is barbaric and it doesn't happen in the UK.

Interesting blog post here about sheep care in the UK

www.woolsack.org/welfare

As Kali's unfortunate typo was made when she was referring to 'muscleing' (sp?) it applies to cattle.

What a comfort that you know what Kali2 was talking about and can answer for her

And as I perhaps I would not have ventured (however tactfully) to point out elsewhere, I would agree that muscling probably does not have an “e” in it.

Animal welfare in Australia leaves a lot to be desired with very long transport distances within the country. Shipping of live sheep to the Middle East is truly appalling, how anyone can justify that is beyond my understanding

Interesting that the information I found about mulesing, de-tailing and castration all being done without anaesthetic referred to Australian practice. ?

I did google 'mulesing'. It is barbaric and it doesn't happen in the UK.

Interesting blog post here about sheep care in the UK

www.woolsack.org/welfare

As Kali's unfortunate typo was made when she was referring to 'muscleing' (sp?) it applies to cattle.

At the same time as removal of the tail, with a mechanical device, without aneasthetics or painkillers. Yes, lambs- and a practice NOT used by British farmers, as you well know.

Yes I had heard of it Kali2
It applies to sheep not cattle . Not pleasant reading but anybody who has had experience of flystrike in their livestock will know the slow painful death that can bring.
Mulesing is the removal of strips of wool-bearing skin from around the breech of a sheep to prevent the parasitic infection flystrike. The wool around the buttocks can retain faeces and urine, which attracts flies

On a more cheerful note - I offer this

MULESING

apologies. A typo, and I had never seen or heard of it before.

Just Google it- warning, it is not pleasant.

vegansrock

The government are reportedly trying to push through a free trade deal with Australia. I wonder why. Some Australian beef farms are industrialised factories with over 400,000 cows fed on grain. Welfare standards are lower that the U.K. ( which aren’t actually that high), even with the cost ( the environmental cost not mentioned) of long distance transportation, our much smaller family run farms will not be able to compete, apart from supplying the smaller niche organic, and much more expensive, market. Farmers are worried this will be the thin end of the wedge that will finally kill them off, especially the smaller farms in Scotland and Wales. Is this just a cynical exercise to show that we don’t need the EU that will actually further damage our economy and come at a great environmental and animal welfare cost?

For some reason Gransnet have got me down for reporting this, why, would do nothing else but support our Farmers, as I have done most of my working life, living in Germany had no choice. British meat is some of the highest quality produce in the world, my local butcher meat is from local producers, meaning Lincolnshire. He will let me buy just the amount I need, don’t get that service from supermarkets. No Australian meat for me.

And the other terms?

Muscleing is just a term used to describe growing muscles in animals - more muscles = more meat.

Can somebody please clarify what we are talking about?
Museling?
Muscleing?
Mulesing? (Read about this, sounds barbaric but so is flystrike, if not worse)
Muleing?
Muscling?

I think I’ll just choose cheese & onion pie at the cafe this lunchtime ...

No UG that is “Muleing” used in Australia

Katie59

MawBe

Ever heard of museling?

No, Kali2 - what does that mean?

Muscleing.

Normally animals that have been fed properly developed muscles naturally. Cattle that have had poor diets and are skinny can be given steroids to grow the muscles really fast.
About 30 yrs ago these steroids were allowed in the UK, farmers could take a really scraggy cow and turn it into prime beef in about 3 months. Just like steroids body builders use they are illegal in the UK, the risk is in changing the rules to allow them.

Thats not what I know as mulesing which is slicing skin off sheep in the fly strike areas

*couldn’t

“Muscling”? (Can’t find muscleing )
I wondered if museling was to do with making a popular Swiss breakfast cereal!

Kali2 said ‘museling’ though. I looked it up and could make sense of it - no wonder!

Thanks Katie for the clarification.

MawBe

^Ever heard of museling?^

No, Kali2 - what does that mean?

Muscleing.

Normally animals that have been fed properly developed muscles naturally. Cattle that have had poor diets and are skinny can be given steroids to grow the muscles really fast.
About 30 yrs ago these steroids were allowed in the UK, farmers could take a really scraggy cow and turn it into prime beef in about 3 months. Just like steroids body builders use they are illegal in the UK, the risk is in changing the rules to allow them.

Huge apologies grannydubh for seeming to be so dismissive of a crofter’s way of life. It certainly sounds very hard work, up at all hours.

I have read up on them - it seems that most crofts don’t generate enough income to live off and extra incomes have often to be found to make a living.

When I said ‘money for old rope’ it was because the crofts I mentioned have been in my stepfather’s family for well over a hundred years and they are rented out - generating income. Or I think Inverness council pay out money. I’m not sure of the logistics but as inherited land it’s an easy way to make money. Hence my somewhat facetious remark. I am truly sorry for my crassness and hope you accept my apology.

Thank you Alegrias1

grannydubh

I very rarely post but as a crofter I have to challenge Urmstongran's
opinion that crofting is money for old rope. We are lambing just now. Our days start at 5am and frequently finish at midnight or later. We both have other jobs to enable us to continue to croft as we make no money from the croft. The reason we continue despite the hard work, is love of our way of life. Our sheep are reared to very high standards and our ground is home to a huge variety of flora and fauna.

Nice post grannydubh