There are signs that major buyers are beginning to specify their beef requirements in terms of slaughter date and age, slaughter weight, carcass fatness and carcass conformation. This should give new impetus to the adoption by producers of planned production systems.

There is increasing interest in specifications which ensure good eating quality and this may have implications for producers, in the way they produce and marjcet their cattle.

Producers need to be convinced that the specifications are realistic and that pricing makes it worth producing to the specification.