Angus Woods: Why all livestock farmers should take a tour around their local factory
Rather than listening to other farmers giving out about factory specifications, go and see for yourself how the system operates
'Without seeing the inside of the processing facility you sell to, it can be difficult to understand how the system works.'
Last Tuesday morning we loaded the last of the grass-fed heifers for this year. There was no need to get up extra early to load the lorry, as the factory were processing China-eligible cattle first thing in the morning.
Due to a previous TB reactor, my heifers were not suitable for the Chinese market. Irish factories have to comply with strict rules if they want to supply beef to China, and non-eligible cattle can’t be in the factory when eligible cattle are being processed.
