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Q. One of my calves did not fulfil the specification this week, what should I do? A.Speak to your BeefConnect® representative. If a calf failed to meet the weight requirement, calf collection can often be rearranged for the following week if the calf then meets the specified weight and age requirements.

Q. I am under TB restriction will my calves be collected? A. Calves supplied to BeefConnect® should be from TB free farms. Outlets for TB restricted farm calves are limited, however the team will endeavour to do their best and take these calves when places are available.

Q. I have some British Blue and Hereford calves, will these also be collected? A. Outlets for breeds other than Angus calves are limited, but the team with endeavour to collect calves when places are available.

Q. I would like to discuss this in more detail, who should I contact? A. Please contact the Genus ABS customer services team on the number below.

Your questions answered

Talk to us!

If you are interested in BeefConnect® please contact the Genus ABS

Customer Services team on the number above.

T: 0870 162 2000

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Q. Will I know before selling my calves how much I will be paid for them? A. Yes. If you contact ABP to notify them that you have calves to sell, they will then send you a text message confirming the prices paid for calves that week, based on their weight.

Q. How quickly will I be paid for my calves? A. Payment is normally made within two weeks via BACS.

Q. Do I have to pay a commission like at the market? A. No - there are no commission fees.

Q. Is there an incentive for using Genus ABS sires? A. The first 50 calves sired by a Genus ABS endorsed sire and collected by BeefConnect® will receive a premium of £20 per calf. The sire must be recorded on the calf passport.

Q. How can I get a higher price for my calves? A. You can maximise the price paid for your Angus bred calves by rearing them to 50kg and by using a Genus ABS endorsed sire.

Q. I want to avoid farm collection charges – is there anywhere I can drop-off my calves to avoid charges? A. Yes, there are two ABP collection centres that you can take your calves to. They are located at:

• Oaklands farm, Weston-under-Redcastle, Shrewsbury, SY4 5LR• Silver street, Honiton, Devon EX14 8PD.

Financial questions

Q. How do I inform BeefConnect® I want to supply calves to the scheme? A. Simply notify your local Genus ABS representative.

Q. How do I inform BeefConnect® that I have calves ready to be collected? A. When you receive the calf price text message, you can either simply reply to the message or call your BeefConnect® representative letting them know the number of calves you have to be collected.

Q. I don’t necessarily want to sell all of my calves to BeefConnect®, do I have to? A. No you do not. There is no contractual agreement and therefore you are free to sell as many of your calves to BeefConnect® as you wish.

Q. Do I still need to book my calves in even if I’m planning to take them to a collection centre?A. Yes, ABP must be informed of all calves that are either being collected from farm or taken to a collection centre.

Supply & collectionquestions

Additional questions ? ANGUS BEEF

DAIRY FARMER

BeefConnect ® p rov ides the da i ry fa rmer w i th a conven ient and compet i t ive ly pr iced ca l f purchase serv ice .

produced by the

Calf Specification

Each week members of BeefConnect® follow a simple, three-step process:

Calf collection explained

Please note: on farm calf collections will incur a small fee (based on the number of calves collected and the distance that ABP has to travel to the farm). Alternatively, calves may be taken to an ABP collection centre (for which there is no charge) where they will be weighed and purchased.

ABP will agree a collection date and time with you and inform you of the calf price for that week.

If you have calves that you would like to sell, text or call ABP with the calf quantity.

ABP arrive on farm to weigh the calves. Those meeting the specification are then purchased and then taken to a dedicated rearing unit.

• Convenient and reliable service.

• An agreed price on farm and transparent pricing structure.

• No market commission payments.

• Regular calf collection from farm, from as young as 10 days old.

• Fast and reliable payment via BACS (made within 14 days).

• Access to calf collection centres – an alternative to on farm collection.

• Significant support from the BeefConnect® team.

Benefits

Min weight at 21 days45kgs

Min weight at 31 days50kgs

Must be between

10 and 35 days

old on the day of

collection.

The animal must not be suffering from

infection or disease.

The sire must be recorded on the calf passport.

Calves must have two matching ear

tags.

Calves must meet the minimum weight requirements

for their age.

Since I started supplying BeefConnect® the greatest benefit to me has been the consistent prices that are paid. A few years ago I used to use British Blue sires and sell the calves at market, but the prices were always changing from week to week and I would lose money through market fees. Despite receiving fair prices for the blue calves I had a few difficult calvings to deal with. With the Angus, I can now put the cows into our orchard overnight, safe in the knowledge that they will calve without any assistance. Another great benefit is the short gestation period for Angus, this has allowed me to get cows back into milk a lot quicker and I can make a fairly good forecast of the income that the calves will generate in future months."

Peter Hickson – Kilhendre Farm, 180 cows.

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Our focus is to get calves off farm as soon as possible, and through BeefConnect® we have been able to clear calves from as young as 10 days old for good prices. We have topped our local livestock market with blue calves making almost £400 on several occasions, however with the Angus calves we can get them off farm a lot quicker saving time, feed and bedding. This is a great advantage to us particularly in the winter. Rearing blues in the winter we would have to carry them until they are 3-4 weeks to get a good price and it is simply impractical and demands more cash to get them there. We have never had any issues meeting the specification and prices have been good - what has been great is the consistency of price. We find our local markets can vary from week to week but with BeefConnect®, we know the guaranteed price at the start of the week and over the past 6 months the prices paid have hardly changed.”

Ben Oakley – Wirswall Farm, 70 cows.

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BeefConnect® is a really simple scheme and it has fitted really well into our system. I inform my local BeefConnect rep if I have any calves ready to sell that week and they arrange a day that suits me to come and weigh and purchase them off farm, saving me the time of travelling to market. I have formed a really good relationship with the calf collector and if any calves fail to meet the weights required, they always make an effort to come back the following week when calves have gained an extra few kilos provided they are still within the age spec. Calf prices have been really stable, I get a weekly text with the guaranteed price for the week, and by having a rough idea of my calf weights beforehand, I know exactly what my calf income will be at the end of the week which is great for me."

Neil Goodwin - The Royals, 180 cows.

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What our farmers say...

BeefConnect®are delivering an excellent service, with well organised collection of calves, achievables target weights with a premium price. We are pleased to play our part in the supply chain. We have used Ploughman for over five years now and have been pleased with the results he has delivered."

Andrew and Samantha Porteous - Lea Field Farm, 200 cows.

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