Teagasc to revise beef finishing guidelines in bid to cut slaughter age

Teagasc is to revise its beef finishing system guidelines as part of a new plan to improve the liveweight performance of the national cattle herd.

It is one of a number of actions in the plan which is aimed at reducing age at slaughter under the Climate Action Plan and improving the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the herd.

Between 2010 and 2022, the average finishing age fell 27.9 to 25.6 months.

However, the new plan says that momentum has slowed in recent years, particularly following challenging weather conditions and shifts in herd composition.

“Accelerating progress towards the 2030 target requires a structured, collaborative approach supported by targeted action across genetics, nutrition, infrastructure, animal health, and knowledge transfer,” it says.

Teagasc, supported by the Department of Agriculture, will also develop a planning template for finishing systems and explore the impact of alternative management and breeding strategies on liveweight performance and finishing age.

Genetics

The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation will promote the use of genetics that will produce high Commercial Beef Value (CBV) calves and will focus on breeding high index cows under the plan.

To improve nutrition management, greater levels of reseeding and the establishment of clover-based swards will be encourage among other actions.

Pricing

The only mention of pricing in the plan is around dairy beef calves.

Progressive pricing models are to be developed by Teagasc and the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) for trading dairy-beef calves and the use of high dairy-beef index sires in dairy herds is to be promoted.

ICBF and Teagasc are to track age at finish trends across individual herds and compare their performance against national targets. They will also promote great use of on-farm/mart weighing and associated decision support.

Other actions in the plan include improving grazing infrastructure on beef farms and promoting appropriate biosecurity procedures for the safe purchase of animals.

Bord Bia

A draft of the plan, recently seen by the Irish Farmers Journal, had contained an action which would see Bord Bia examine the potential to develop “earlier age grass-fed beef cattle as a key selling point”.

This draft action did not make the cut in the final plan, which was launched by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon on Thursday.

The Department of Agriculture, Teagasc, Bord Bia, Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and the ICBF developed the plan, in consultation with the farm organisations and industry.