The high value of Holstein cattle continues to be maintained at both herd dispersal and specialist sales.This has been the traditional foundation for farmers to invest in breeding for strong functional type and productivity through the use of superior genetics aided by authenticated recording of production, type and ancestry. Through the years this has resulted in a premium market value derived from the individual merits of each animal: a combination of performance information and physical appraisal.This is the premise for all sale valuations and has been used in compensation valuations when compulsory purchase has been imposed. Irrespective of the type of sale, market, private or dispersal, the variation of individual animals from the average is quite startling. It therefore seems totally illogical that the latest Defra consultation paper on Compensation Valuations suggests that market averages should be used to determine the value of individual animals. It is welcomed that Defra, in proposing amendment to the compensation schemes, has acknowledged pedigree as a separate sector, however pedigree breeding animals have vastly diverse merits of quality, which determine value.
展开▼
