In this week's edition, Declan Marren details a technology that will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Irish beef production by over 30% while increasing farm profitability. The technology is available instantly and at zero cost to farmers.

I imagine at this point I have lost most readers as the above link has been clicked. Those expecting to read about the emergence of some new breakthrough technology will be disappointed. Instead, Declan simply reports on the potential of bull systems to increase the economic and environmental sustainability of Irish beef production.

How much longer are we going to allow beef processors to dictate that this is ignored? It seems that through funding joint programmes with Teagasc, they have managed focus the research agenda and technical advice towards steer beef – to such an extent that if we look at the beef research programme within Teagasc, bull beef systems have been almost totally abandoned.

Teagasc research

In recent years, research into dairy bull beef systems has been scrapped and the Teagasc suckler demo farms are now all finishing male progeny as steers. Was this decision by Teagasc based on a drive to improve technical efficiency and environmental sustainability or does it reflect the fact that most of these research projects are closely linked to and/or funded by beef processors?

During the recent virtual Teagasc beef conference, the potential of bull beef systems to reduce the environmental footprint was completely ignored. Instead, the focus was on reducing the average age of steers at slaughter – something closely aligned to the agenda of processors.

Slaughter age is a worthwhile focus with the potential to reduce GHG emissions from steer beef systems by 3.6% for every 30 days slaughter age is reduced. Reducing the average slaughter age of steers from 27 to 24 months would deliver 10-11% reduction in GHG emissions.

But Teagasc data shows that moving from an efficient 24-month steer system to a 19-month bull beef system would yield up to a 32% reduction in GHG while also increasing farm profitability. In contrast to the huge challenge of getting farmers to reduce the slaughter age of steers by three months, many farmers would implement more efficient bull beef systems overnight.

Centre stage

Farmers deserve a clear explanation from Teagasc, Bord Bia and the Department of Agrilcutre as to why this technology is not being put centre stage as one of the key tools in helping to meet targets. Their explanation must go beyond the rhetoric from beef processors in relation to challenges of marketing bull beef.

Rather than just accepted this narrative, it needs to be robustly challenged in the context that the price for Irish steers continually lags behind the British steer and EU bull beef price. It should also be challenged on the basis that markets are changing.

The steer beef system is largely based on meeting the British retail spec, yet the majority of British retailers now stock exclusively British-only product.

Value of EU market

As Phelim O’Neill points out, Bord Bia figures show that while higher volumes of beef were exported into the UK in 2021, it was of lower value than exports to the EU. This would indicating that higher priced steaking cuts are destine for EU markets with mince and manufacturing beef destine for the UK.

Producing steer beef for this market mix is highly questionable given that the EU steaking market is predominately a bull beef market while the argued superior meat-eating quality of steer beef demanded by the UK market would not be detectable in mince and lower grade manufacturing beef used in burger production.

In the coming years, it is entirely conceivable that steaks from Irish steer beef will compete with steaks from EU bull beef systems where both products will have their carbon footprints displayed in front of the consumer. What marketing strategy do Bord Bia and processors have in place to convince sustainability-conscious consumers that an Irish steak, with a considerably higher carbon footprint than a steak from a French bull, is the environmentally responsible choice?

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

The figures detailed on table 1 here should be enough for Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to trigger an independent review into bull beef systems to support Irish beef farmers in achieving emission reduction targets and improving economic suitability. A review of why this has been abandoned by Teagasc should also be conducted.

We must not allow beef processors dictate the production model at farm level. Had dairy processors been allowed to do so, we would not have the seasonal but globally competitive grass-based production model that exists on Irish farms.

If a technology existed to allow beef processors improve their environmental credentials over competitors, solutions would be found to ensure it was made accessible – the same opportunity must be afforded to farmers.