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A three-year comparison of profitability of organic and conventional beef production systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2017

D Younie
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
G W Carr
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
D S Yackiminie
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
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Extract

There is a demand for organically produced meat from consumers concerned about environmental protection, food quality and animal welfare. Premium prices are claimed for most organic foods, but offset against these must be the possibility of reduced output. In order to quantify the reduction in physical output and the potential for improved sale prices, a beef systems comparison was carried out at Craibstone, Aberdeen, centred on two grassland farmlets; a conventional fertiliser-based system (C) and an organic system based on clover (O) each of which supported an 18-month beef unit. This paper describes the results from three full production cycles covering the period from autumn 1988 to spring 1992.

Type
Beef
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1993

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References

MLC (1992) Beef Yearbook 1991. Meat and Livestock Commission, Milton Keynes.Google Scholar
Soil Association (1986) Standards for Organic Agriculture. Soil Association, Bristol.Google Scholar
Younie, D., Heath, S.B., Yackiminie, D.S. and Carr, G.W. (1986) Development of a low-input beef system based on white clover. In: Frame, J. (Ed), Grazing, Occasional Symposium. British Grassland Society, No 19, 230232.Google Scholar