Morrisons has officially launched its new range of Beef Shorthorn beef.
The retailer, which has been paying farmers a premium for Shorthorn beef for the past six years, has launched the Shorthorn Beef brand under its ‘Best’ range.
The brand includes a full range of steaks, salmon-cut and topside joints.
It has already proved successful with one of its steaks – The Best British 21 Day Matured Dry Aged Shorthorn Sirloin Steak – scooping two gold medals in the World Steak Challenge this year.
Morrisons livestock and farming development manager, Jodie Bolland, said: “Beef Shorthorn is globally renowned for its eating quality, characterised by marbling which influences its consistent great taste – tenderness followed by flavour.
“We pay a premium on all cattle sired by a registered Beef Shorthorn and supplied to the supermarket’s own meat processing company, Woodheads from its approved farm assured finishers.”
Beef Shorthorn Society chief executive, Milly Fyfe, hailed the launch of the beef range and said Shorthorns were back in vogue following the “invasion of Continental breeds” throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
She said: “Breeders have carefully selected for specific maternal performance traits and at the same time retained the Beef Shorthorn’s native characteristics; consequently Beef Shorthorn is enjoying resurgence and meeting market demand primarily as a functional suckler cow.
“In fact, Beef Shorthorn’s unique traits have positioned it to be numerically Britain’s fastest growing native breed, its population has expanded by 1,400% since 2002, and there is every indication that that trend will continue to gain momentum.”