Cull market?

[grassfarmer]

I read from Europe that their domestic beef supply has declined again. Manufacturing grade beef will likely rise 5% in price in 2005 and the EU net import requirement for this category will rise by 150,000 Tonnes.
To set against this is the end of the OTM incineration scheme in the UK which will release @ 75,000 Tonnes onto the market.
If only we had a big cow plant to kill our surplus in.

[cakadu]

Out of curiosity grassfarmer, would the EU be willing to take our OTM cattle if we could in fact get them processed?

What would the import restrictions be, if any? I'm guessing that they would have some guidelines on things like hormone free, would they not?

[grassfarmer]

I've no idea what rules would be put in place for Canadian OTMs - not that the EU leaders would necessarily sit around a table and say "tomorrow we will allow the import of Canadian manufacturing beef". More likely a retailer somewhere in Europe would look at importing if the price was right. Just like the pirates here these guys are not of high moral standards. If they thought they could import product cheap enough and get it in front of consumers without too many questions being asked they would do it. That's why Europe already imports manufacturing beef from South America, Africa and Australasia.