Are we facing a beef farming crisis?

Have our farms been hit by the recession? Undoubtedly the answer is yes, but are things due to get worse after figures released by the National Beef Association revealed that more than half of British beef is now being sold as mince? 

It is understandable that many families will have swapped their steak for spag bol after having to tighten the purse strings over the last couple of years, but are supermarkets taken the discounts and price cuts too far? Industry leaders are warning that a potential farming crisis could be just around the corner. 

Farmers are currently receiving an average of just £2.65 a carcase kilo, when in fact prices should be at least £3.20 in order to be financially viable. If the supermarket beef 'price war' continues we could see many of our beef farms closing down altogether.

The NBA Chairman, Oisin Murnion has accused supermarkets of exacerbating the problem by favouring mince in their displays, whilst pushing the more profitable cuts to one side. He describes their beef sections as 'cobwebby', and says that they have 'fallen into a comfortable time warp'. Many supermarkets offer just five standard cuts of meat, when some butchers offer over fifty. Would a better variety of cut, and a more interesting  selection encourage you to spend more on your beef?

It's important that both retailers and consumers alter their beef selling and buying habits. Kim-Marie Haywood, the Director of NBA said: 'This is one crisis too many. If something doesn't change quickly, we are going to hemorrhage beef producers.'

What are your thoughts on the issue? We've got several beef farms in our local area - would you be prepared to pay more to support them?

Should we be using our local butchers for meat instead of hunting out bargains at supermarkets? Is it fair to expect families on a budget to do this?