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Feed costs account for a large proportion of cash costs in beef cattle operations.

Protein is a critical nutrient in all beef cattle diets. Although protein supplementation is often a high cost item in beef cattle feeding program, sometimes protein supplementation is needed to meet the animal’s nutrient requirements.

Signs of protein deficiency include lowered appetite, weight loss, poor growth, depressed reproductive performance, and reduced milk production.

While the NFU claims that the UK has world-class food standards, the Minister for Rural Affairs tells the House of Lords that we are already importing meat-fed Processed Animal Protein and so the UK should follow the EU and reintroduce it, despite the BSE disaster. But why not call the EU’s bluff and use this opportunity to differentiate UK pork and poultry products from other EU producers. That would be a much greater benefit to UK farmers than slightly cheaper feed.