The beef programme set up by Dalgety Meat Ltd is a positive link between producer and consumer. It started 10 years ago when it became clear that it was necessary for Dalgety to establish a link with beef breeding and production if the company was to provide its retail clients with regular supplies of quality meat. To achieve this link, Dalgety Meat Ltd developed beef producer groups.

Calves destined for beef originate either from dairy or beef herds and there are many different routes through life, making it very difficult to maintain contact with the product from conception to consumer. Also, an individual producer fattening, say, 50 to 100 head, supplying a wholesaler requiring 50,100 or 200 thousand cattle per year can not, individually, make any impact in terms of producing beef for an identified market. However, a group of producers with an output of several thousand fat cattle opens up a different possibility.