Here is what two big beef buyers overseas have paid for Shorthorn cattle, and what it tells us about the breed.
Morrisons, United Kingdom
In 2013 the UK supermarket Morrisons raised its bonus for Beef Shorthorn cattle to 30p/kg, against 10p/kg for other native breeds. By 2014 about 400 cattle a week went through its traditional-breed scheme, roughly half of them Shorthorn-sired, and 98% of those hit the specification and earned the bonus. Morrisons said it wanted the breed to make up its whole traditional-breed kill. In 2015 a scheme with Buitelaar and Sterling Sires guaranteed dairy farmers the same price for Shorthorn-sired calves as for Angus calves, plus 20p/kg at finishing, and Morrisons went on to sell Shorthorn beef under its own premium label.
These figures are from Morrisons’ schemes of 2013 to 2015.
JBS Thousand Guineas, Australia
In 2018 JBS was paying 10c/kg more for eligible Shorthorn feeder steers than for equivalent Angus feeders, about A$45 a head on a 450 kg steer, for its Thousand Guineas brand. Around 8 500 Shorthorn feeders went through the programme in 2016-17.
JBS closed the Thousand Guineas brand in 2024 and continues to buy Shorthorn cattle.
And in South Africa?
Our carcass classification pays on age, fat code and conformation. Here the Shorthorn earns its money on the farm: a fertile, milky cow, an easy calving and a heavy crossbred weaner.
The lesson from overseas is that a premium follows consistency. The cattle that hit the specification week after week got paid. That is why we measure and record, and why we select for marbling alongside fertility and growth. We would rather sell you a bull with the figures to back him than a story.
Source: Farmers Weekly (UK), “Morrisons lifts Beef Shorthorn bonus to 30p/kg”, July 2013
Source: Farmers Weekly (UK), “Morrisons searches for more Beef Shorthorn cattle”, October 2014
Source: Farmers Weekly (UK), “Beef Shorthorn scheme offers price premium to farmers”, May 2015
Source: Seedstock Central, “Thousand Guineas results in 10c/kg premium”, March 2018
Source: The Land, “Thousand Guineas marbling on Shorthorn breeders’ radar”, July 2023
Source: Australian Shorthorns, President’s letter on the JBS Thousand Guineas program, March 2024
Source: Farmer’s Weekly, “Does the classification system help consumers buy the tastiest meat?”, April 2025