Beef Labelling

[Jac]

It would appear that the need to employ an independent verifier for voluntary additional information on your beef labels will end on 13th December 2014. According to the article below, after that date you can label beef as 'Dexter' and make claims regarding how long your beef was matured for etc - providing of course that you are telling the truth.

http://www.meatinfo.co.uk/news/fullstor ... ds_94.html

Whether this is a good thing or not remains to be seen for example, is a Dexter a Dexter if it says so on the passport or must it be registered with the breed society?

[Mkay]

That would be like saying an electronic edition if a book is not an ebook because it is not registered with kindle. It is what it is regarless of outside influence.
Granted- without regulation it is open to abuse, but what isn't....

My beef is from a steer, bred out of a pedigree dexter cow, sired by pedigree dexter bull, ergo it was a pure dexter steer. So is the beef from its carcass dexter beef or generic beef? It is obvious even to a young child. The society was incredibly arrogant to trademark the moniker and make such onerous demands,if the animal is out of two dexter- it is dexter, registered or not.

[davidw]

I wouldn't describe the Society as being arrogant in setting up the Dexter Beef Certification Scheme. It provides a standard label that we hope consumers will get to recognise and ask for.
There is a major problem in the food industry that, despite the requirement for traceability, vast quantities of meat are promoted and sold as being something they are not. Only a couple of weeks ago, Venison at one supermarket was found to be a mixture of venison and lamb, and large quantities of "Irish" beef was actually Polish beef that was packed in Ireland. The supermarkets claimed they had no knowledge of the horsemeat scandal, but they exert such strict control over their suppliers that I personally do not believe them. A recent TV programme that investigated restaurants in Wales claiming to serve Welsh Beef and Lamb found that more than 70% of them could not substantiate that claim. A few years ago, Dexter breeders in Northern Ireland found a similar situation where pubs and restaurants advertised that their dishes contained Dexter beef when they did not. The trading standards people are so thinly stretched that many of these companies can and do what they like with very little fear of being penalised.
You know your beef is true 100% Dexter beef, but when the guy down the road sees that you can get a premium price for Dexter beef, he will try to get the same price for his non-Dexter beef for the cost of a label.

[SteveM]

labelling came up at home a couple of weeks ago while freezing half of dads latest steer.

doesnt bother labelling the different cuts as mother cooks it all the same way whatever it is

[Rob R]

labelling came up at home a couple of weeks ago while freezing half of dads latest steer.

doesnt bother labelling the different cuts as mother cooks it all the same way whatever it is

My dad never labels anything in the freezer, in fact you're lucky if he ties the bag...

Mum finds it utterly frustrating though and I remember many a meal where we thought we were having one thing that turned out to be another.

[Rob R]

That would be like saying an electronic edition if a book is not an ebook because it is not registered with kindle. It is what it is regarless of outside influence.
Granted- without regulation it is open to abuse, but what isn't....

My beef is from a steer, bred out of a pedigree dexter cow, sired by pedigree dexter bull, ergo it was a pure dexter steer. So is the beef from its carcass dexter beef or generic beef? It is obvious even to a young child. The society was incredibly arrogant to trademark the moniker and make such onerous demands,if the animal is out of two dexter- it is dexter, registered or not.

The regulation has been a farce because there has never been a serious effort to enforce it but I disagree about the Dexter scheme as it a guarantee that it is Dexter, or at least if you suspect it is not it can be verified to a reasonable degree through the herdbook and records that you must have had or bought birth notified steers in equivalent quantities.

At what point would it be OK to call it Dexter? Unless it is registered Dexter on the pedigree I call it Dexter cross beef as I have no way to verify it otherwise. I have a cow that is 1/4 Kerry, so she produces 7/8th Dexter calves using pedigree bulls each time but I'd no more call the beef she produces Dexter any more than I would call the calves pedigree. That leads me onto to another gripe - the number of people advertising 'pedigree Dexters' when they turn out to be out of one or more registered parents, and they either mistakenly or deliberately tell the buyers that the calf can be registered.

[Jac]

I won't be throwing in the towel on the certification scheme just yet but hope that they will be doing more to market the beef sold under the mark or if this is not possible due to 'charity' restrictions then look to setting up a Ltd sister company that can. Not that I am looking for other people to sell my beef but I must confess that I haven't had a single enquiry from the marketing effort so far i.e. listing on the dexter beef for the consumer' via the DCS web site Has anyone else? There doesn't seem to be a shortage of people enquiring about stock to start up beef enterprises.

[Rob R]

I'm not sure how many have come to me via the society, none that I know of but then most people just order and don't say.

Something the society seem to have completely missed the boat on is the EBLEX mini roast campaign;

http://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/

If ever there was a breed made for mini roasts, the Dexter must be it.

[Mkay]

When it comes down to it though it doesn't mean a damn, all it takes is a pair of cutters and a pair of tags and the certified dexter beef is a stunted AA cross. Traceability is fine but Some People will fiddle if they are so inclined.
And as to the content of mass or even niche products, some people will cut costs however they please.

The society should offer a branded lable for birth notified beef sure, but not trademark the name and say you cannot call your dexter beef dexter beef- that's what's arrogant.

[Jac]

I'm not sure how many have come to me via the society, none that I know of but then most people just order and don't say.

Don't you ask? How do you know if your marketing is having any effect?

[Rob R]

You're right, I don't think it will stop anyone, if they are so inclined, from flouting the rules anymore than the official scheme did, but at least there's an assurance when you are getting the DCS approved stuff. I hope it will encourage more people to birth notify their calves as all too often females will come on the market that appear to have had fewer calves than they should have, and that puts me off buying them.

[Rob R]

I'm not sure how many have come to me via the society, none that I know of but then most people just order and don't say.

Don't you ask? How do you know if your marketing is having any effect?

Sometimes, but not always, if I do ask, more often than not I get a very general answer that doesn't really tell me much (like 'the internet') and it feels rude to integorate them further.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Well I have to say that I have been in favour of a DCS scheme properly monitored to ensure that Dexter beef being sold is in fact Dexter beef. There is a monitoring scheme in place and it will act as a deterent more than anything - such schemes cannot follow up every label being applied but rely on checking a proportion to make sure people keep to the rules. If we do not have such a scheme then I think that there is a good chance that big business in one shape or another will muscle in on our unique product and we will have little redress.

However having paid to join the scheme before the end of August and still not find my name on the two relevant lists on DCS website is very disappointing.

Similarly disappointing to find that after linear assessment on 22nd June not all my VG animals are listed on DCS website either.

I also tried to check tonight for details of the AGM programme before departing at 6am tomorrow - it still says "details to follow"

I wonder what happened to the good intentions to improve communication expressed at the 2013 AGM?

Duncan

[Mkay]

I have emailed the society three times this month and yet to recive a reply.