An analysis of data held on the DAERA NI Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS) shows that the majority of mature beef bulls are failing to last more than a couple of seasons on NI farms.

The dataset analysed was limited to cattle recorded as bulls (Sex code B) on NIFAIS and looked at the age at slaughter/death of these animals over the last 12-month period. Dairy breeds were omitted.

The work shows that a total of 59% of bulls were slaughtered or registered as dead when aged between two and four years. Just under one quarter made it beyond six years of age, with only 13% of bulls over eight years old when recorded as dead on NIFAIS in the last year.

The analysis excluded any animals slaughtered before they reached two years and was limited to those beef breeds, with at least 50 bulls slaughtered or dead in the last year.

That left nine main beef breeds analysed across a dataset of 4,048 animals. There is a significant range in longevity rates across these main beef breeds, although also some caveats to consider.