Slaughter age remains a big factor in being able to meet our targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions by 2030.
The agricultural sector is tasked with reducing the emissions from the sector by 25%, which will be very difficult to meet and will require a number of huge changes to take place within the industry for it to be achieved.
The 25% reduction will mean a reduction of 5.75 Mt CO2 equivalent. Teagasc has estimated that reducing slaughter age could potentially reduce our emissions by between 0.3 and 0.5 Mt CO2 equivalent or almost 10% of the agricultural target.
One of the main contributors to GHG emissions in agriculture is the enteric fermentation process from the digestive process in ruminant animals, such as cows and sheep. Given that this is the case, it makes sense that the less time that these animals are alive, the less methane they will emit. The current average age of slaughter of bullocks in Ireland is 26 months of age.
The target is to reduce this down to between 22 and 23 months by 2030.
Teagasc has estimated that for every one-month reduction in slaughter age, the reduction in emissions as a result of earlier slaughter is the equivalent of approximately 100,000 cows. It’s not as simple as saying “go do it” though and a lot of stars need to align before we can get the slaughter age back to the 22.5-month target that has been set.
National kill profile
It is also unclear as to what effect the reduction in slaughter age will have on our national kill. For an average of 22 to 23 months to be achieved, Ireland would need to be slaughtering a huge number of cattle at the end of the second grazing season at 18 to 20 months.
Teagasc has shown that this can be achieved on research farms and demo farms, but management needs to be at a very high level for it to work.
Missing the end of the grazing slaughter date and coming into the shed has big financial and feed consequences.
It could also mean a glut of cattle at certain times of the year. However, Teagasc has played down the impact citing huge changes needing to occur before any material effect would take place on the national kill profile.
It has said that the change will be more gradual with farmers adopting an earlier slaughter date on a phased basis rather than all at once.
Earlier slaughter will mean lower carcase weights, which is also a challenge as the emissions from that animal is divided over a smaller carcase; hence high CO2 equivalents per kilo of carcase produced.
Bonus structure
The targets essentially rule out an over-30 month finishing system, which still attracts an 8c/kg bonus under the current beef pricing structure.
The 20c/kg in-spec bonus is payable on all cattle under 30 months meeting the requirements but, again, this is doing very little in incentivising slaughter 12 months earlier.
Continental breeds that have traditionally been slaughtered at an older age could be seen as a disadvantage in meeting the 2030 targets or will their superior growth rates put them ahead of the traditional breeds?
The agricultural sector is tasked with reducing the emissions from the sector by 25%, which will be very difficult to meet.
Genetics, nutrition and health will all play a major role in reducing slaughter age with some mammoth changes needing to take place on farms if the targets are to be hit.
Processors
And what about our processors? They will say they are already incentivising early slaughter through the current pricing structure, but some farmers have argued that no clear messages are being given to farmers on the direction of travel they need to take.
Surely, a climate change-conscious consumer would be willing to pay more for lower emissions beef. Who knows? Maybe they are at the moment, but farmers have no way of knowing.
Should an early slaughter payment be introduced in Ireland, who would benefit from a payment like this the most – factories or farmers? But there are very mixed messages out there, with factories currently paying €3/kg and more for cattle over 30 months, so how could farmers take the blame for not changing when that sort of industry message is ringing through at farmgate level.
There are currently more questions than answers and with time ticking on the 2030 target, someone needs to take this one by the collar and iron it out before we are left scratching our heads at the end of 2029, wondering where it all went wrong.
Northern Ireland model in focus
In 2023 the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland (NI) announced a new scheme called the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme (BCRS). This was introduced as part of a new NI agriculture policy that has been designed following the UK’s exit from the EU.
The BCRS was, according to DAERA, introduced “to help improve efficiency of the beef sector and reduce livestock greenhouse gas emissions” and, in turn, go in some way to meet the Climate Change Act (NI) 2022 targets.
For farmers to be eligible for the BCRS in 2024, they must slaughter prime cattle at 30 months and under in 2024. Farmers are not required to complete any paperwork as DAERA will be able to identify the slaughter age of eligible cattle from information held on the NI animal movements system.
Farmers will then be paid for each eligible animal in spring 2025. Over the next four years, the slaughter age will reduce from 30 months in 2024, to 28 months in 2025, 27 months in 2026 and 26 months in 2027.
Farmers are required to slaughter clean-finished beef, ie beef animals that have not been used for breeding. Beef animals are also required to be slaughtered for human consumption and not pet food, for example.
Eligible animals moved out of NI for direct slaughter will also be eligible for the payment.
For beef animals to be eligible, they must be born and registered in Northern Ireland. Therefore ROI-bred cattle slaughtered in NI will not be eligible for the BCRS payment.
Payments will be made to farmers who held the animal in their herd for at least 60 days during the final 100 days of its life before slaughter.
Payment rates started off at £20 (€24) per animal in January 2024, £40 (€48) per animal in February 2024 and £60 (€72) per animal in March 2024, and from April 2024 onwards, payment has been £75 (€90) per animal. There is no individual herd limit but there is an NI herd limit of 352,000 animals.
Earlier slaugher of cattle has been highlighted as a key change to meet our 2030 emissions targets.NI has gone down the route of incentivising earlier slaughter paying £75 (€90)/head on eligible animals.
Slaughter age remains a big factor in being able to meet our targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions by 2030.
The agricultural sector is tasked with reducing the emissions from the sector by 25%, which will be very difficult to meet and will require a number of huge changes to take place within the industry for it to be achieved.
The 25% reduction will mean a reduction of 5.75 Mt CO2 equivalent. Teagasc has estimated that reducing slaughter age could potentially reduce our emissions by between 0.3 and 0.5 Mt CO2 equivalent or almost 10% of the agricultural target.
One of the main contributors to GHG emissions in agriculture is the enteric fermentation process from the digestive process in ruminant animals, such as cows and sheep. Given that this is the case, it makes sense that the less time that these animals are alive, the less methane they will emit. The current average age of slaughter of bullocks in Ireland is 26 months of age.
The target is to reduce this down to between 22 and 23 months by 2030.
Teagasc has estimated that for every one-month reduction in slaughter age, the reduction in emissions as a result of earlier slaughter is the equivalent of approximately 100,000 cows. It’s not as simple as saying “go do it” though and a lot of stars need to align before we can get the slaughter age back to the 22.5-month target that has been set.
National kill profile
It is also unclear as to what effect the reduction in slaughter age will have on our national kill. For an average of 22 to 23 months to be achieved, Ireland would need to be slaughtering a huge number of cattle at the end of the second grazing season at 18 to 20 months.
Teagasc has shown that this can be achieved on research farms and demo farms, but management needs to be at a very high level for it to work.
Missing the end of the grazing slaughter date and coming into the shed has big financial and feed consequences.
It could also mean a glut of cattle at certain times of the year. However, Teagasc has played down the impact citing huge changes needing to occur before any material effect would take place on the national kill profile.
It has said that the change will be more gradual with farmers adopting an earlier slaughter date on a phased basis rather than all at once.
Earlier slaughter will mean lower carcase weights, which is also a challenge as the emissions from that animal is divided over a smaller carcase; hence high CO2 equivalents per kilo of carcase produced.
Bonus structure
The targets essentially rule out an over-30 month finishing system, which still attracts an 8c/kg bonus under the current beef pricing structure.
The 20c/kg in-spec bonus is payable on all cattle under 30 months meeting the requirements but, again, this is doing very little in incentivising slaughter 12 months earlier.
Continental breeds that have traditionally been slaughtered at an older age could be seen as a disadvantage in meeting the 2030 targets or will their superior growth rates put them ahead of the traditional breeds?
The agricultural sector is tasked with reducing the emissions from the sector by 25%, which will be very difficult to meet.
Genetics, nutrition and health will all play a major role in reducing slaughter age with some mammoth changes needing to take place on farms if the targets are to be hit.
Processors
And what about our processors? They will say they are already incentivising early slaughter through the current pricing structure, but some farmers have argued that no clear messages are being given to farmers on the direction of travel they need to take.
Surely, a climate change-conscious consumer would be willing to pay more for lower emissions beef. Who knows? Maybe they are at the moment, but farmers have no way of knowing.
Should an early slaughter payment be introduced in Ireland, who would benefit from a payment like this the most – factories or farmers? But there are very mixed messages out there, with factories currently paying €3/kg and more for cattle over 30 months, so how could farmers take the blame for not changing when that sort of industry message is ringing through at farmgate level.
There are currently more questions than answers and with time ticking on the 2030 target, someone needs to take this one by the collar and iron it out before we are left scratching our heads at the end of 2029, wondering where it all went wrong.
Northern Ireland model in focus
In 2023 the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland (NI) announced a new scheme called the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme (BCRS). This was introduced as part of a new NI agriculture policy that has been designed following the UK’s exit from the EU.
The BCRS was, according to DAERA, introduced “to help improve efficiency of the beef sector and reduce livestock greenhouse gas emissions” and, in turn, go in some way to meet the Climate Change Act (NI) 2022 targets.
For farmers to be eligible for the BCRS in 2024, they must slaughter prime cattle at 30 months and under in 2024. Farmers are not required to complete any paperwork as DAERA will be able to identify the slaughter age of eligible cattle from information held on the NI animal movements system.
Farmers will then be paid for each eligible animal in spring 2025. Over the next four years, the slaughter age will reduce from 30 months in 2024, to 28 months in 2025, 27 months in 2026 and 26 months in 2027.
Farmers are required to slaughter clean-finished beef, ie beef animals that have not been used for breeding. Beef animals are also required to be slaughtered for human consumption and not pet food, for example.
Eligible animals moved out of NI for direct slaughter will also be eligible for the payment.
For beef animals to be eligible, they must be born and registered in Northern Ireland. Therefore ROI-bred cattle slaughtered in NI will not be eligible for the BCRS payment.
Payments will be made to farmers who held the animal in their herd for at least 60 days during the final 100 days of its life before slaughter.
Payment rates started off at £20 (€24) per animal in January 2024, £40 (€48) per animal in February 2024 and £60 (€72) per animal in March 2024, and from April 2024 onwards, payment has been £75 (€90) per animal. There is no individual herd limit but there is an NI herd limit of 352,000 animals.
Earlier slaugher of cattle has been highlighted as a key change to meet our 2030 emissions targets.NI has gone down the route of incentivising earlier slaughter paying £75 (€90)/head on eligible animals.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: