A world-wide resurgence in the Hereford breed is expected in the near future following last week’s European Hereford Conference, staged in the UK, which highlighted an unprecedented demand for such cattle in may parts of the world due to consumers growing appreciation of taste and eating quality – characteristics which are increasingly lacking in ‘commodity’ beef.

And, nowhere did the message come more strongly than from Jan Wills, secretary general of the World Hereford Council who said that in her native New Zealand, the Hereford breed had recently been awarded best retail brand in the prestigious ‘Steak of Origin’ awards, while a leading abattoir had just begun paying a premium price for Hereford pure and cross-bred beef.

“Demand for quality beef is immense. There is still a lot of room for growth and in my opinion, there’s a lot of space for the Hereford breed,” said Marcia Dutra de Barcellos, associate professor in marketing and business strategy from Brazilian University, Rio Grande do Sul.

But coining the phrase, ‘survival of the most marketable’, she said that producers had to innovate and adapt to changing consumer demands with both their product and its marketing. They were competing in a rapidly changing market place in which convenience products were often based on poultry, with which they must compete head-on. “There’s a huge place for innovation and the beef industry can do much more,” she said.

Citing the example of online sales, she said: “You can buy Hereford steak on the internet, but to do that, you really have to trust your product so you must have consistent quality.”