Calf registration information from BCMS should be put to better use to avoid the unparalleled surge of 11-13-month-old Holstein bulls coming onto the prime cattle market in future years to come, according to a report from the National Beef Association.

It claims the recent depressed prime cattle prices at a time of year when supplies are traditionally limiting and prices are on an upward spiral, is due to to the absence of up to date market supply information.

This, the NBA points out became obvious last year when hundreds of feeders were unable to make informed decisions when buying store cattle last autumn, and that false expectations of eventual undersupply also continued to influence buying and selling decisions from April onwards.

“Recent lifts in abattoir intake have been impressive, explained NBA director, Kim Haywood. “Between January and March there was a 27% increase in young bull throughput, almost all of them Holsteins, in Great Britain while young bulls accounted for 20% of the Northern Ireland’s intake compared with 16% last year.”

Ms Hayward also expects the upward trend to continue as BCMS records show a 200,000 head lift in dairy bull calf registrations over the 12 months ending March 31, 2010 and, while the first of these animals have already moved through the abattoir system, there are more to come.

“This huge rise is almost entirely due to the retention for rearing and feeding of calves, mainly Holstein with some British Blue, which would otherwise not have come through the beef system. Unfortunately the twice yearly census, which is still used as a forecasting base, gave no indication of this – although BCMS calf registration figures quite clearly did.”