Beef
Home Wintering Cattle vs Wintering Away
Each year livestock keepers face an important management decision: is it more cost effective to winter cattle at home or send them away? While the wintering away charge provides an obvious figure to compare, the true cost of wintering cattle at home can be less straightforward. The best option will depend on the individual business,…
The Benefits of Pregnancy Scanning Beef Cattle
Pregnancy diagnosis (PD) is a simple but valuable management tool for beef farmers and is an essential part of fertility management within a suckler herd. Knowing the pregnancy status of your herd early has several cost saving benefits as carrying empty cows’ costs money! Early pregnancy diagnosis enables farmers to identify which cows are in…
Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (SSBSS) – 2026 Eligibility & 410 Day Calving Interval
Key Points To be eligible for payment, calves must meet all the existing SSBSS eligibility requirements, as well as the new 410-day calving interval condition, unless the 10-calf small herd derogation applies. Applicants do not need to provide or check the dam’s calving interval when submitting a claim. The Scottish Government will validate the calving…
Business and Policy October 2026 – Beef
Prime Cattle Prices Rise Finished beef prices have increased week on week throughout September, a notable change from earlier in the year. GB prime cattle prices rose by another 4p/kg to 615p/kg deadweight in the week ending 12 September, with prices sitting at 620p/kg/dwt (reducing the year-on-year gap to just 19p/kg) for week ending 19…
Business and Policy September 2026 – Beef
Finished beef prices in Scotland have rebounded significantly since mid-June, with prices rising throughout August following a seasonal reduction in slaughter availability, reflecting the dominance of spring calving. While still down over 3% on Easter and trailing 2025 levels by 6%, prices are up 25% compared to 2024. AHDB reported that the GB all-prime cattle average reached 608p/kg in the week ending 8 August, with steers averaging…
Managing Heat Stress in Beef Cattle
Hot weather can have a significant impact on cattle health, welfare and performance. Heat stress occurs when a critical combination of humidity and temperature is reached, commonly measured by the temperature humidity index (THI). Cows begin to experience heat stress at a THI of 68 or above. In the UK, summer humidity typically averages around…
Business and Policy August 2026 – Beef
Finished Prices Pick Up in July Finished cattle prices in Scotland have slowly but surely improved over the last few weeks. Increased slaughterings, growth in imports and ongoing consumer price pressures all contributed to a muted finished price in early summer. Finishing margins have been significantly squeezed for several months now. However, prices have moved upwards since early July (+16p/kg…
Thrill of The Hill – Beef, Business and Beyond
The beef industry in Scotland is resilient and adaptable, whether it’s changing markets and cost of production pressures, policy developments or the new entrant bottleneck. To help us navigate these topics and many more, today we are joined by Senior Beef Specialist Gavin Hill to discuss the outlook for the beef sector. This episode is…
Business and Policy July 2026 – Beef
Finished prices ‘stand on’ After several months of sharp falls in finished cattle prices, with many finishers having suffered losses of approximately £240/head since February 2026, it looks as though beef prices are now beginning to stabilise around £6/kg deadweight. While the current beef price is undoubtedly seeing finisher margins squeezed, it will come as a welcome relief to…
Business and Policy June 2026 – Beef
Continued decline Beef prices continue a downwards trajectory, with many finishers now facing unsustainable losses on finished cattle. Many finishers have seen a fall of approximately £240 since February 2026. The beef price has dropped by more than 20p/kg in the past month. Those finishers who bought store cattle last year when prices were at their peak are suffering most,…