November 2, 2023
Irish dairy farmers urged to improve beef merit
The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has called for dairy farmers in the Republic of Ireland to focus on enhancing the beef merit of their dairy herds, as recent data from the ICBF revealed a decline in the beef genetics of calves from the Irish dairy herd over the past few years, Agriland reported.
The data also shows a consistent drop in carcass weight and carcass confirmation traits among finished dairy-beef cattle. The federation has attributed the declining beef merit of dairy-beef calves to the tendency of dairy farmers to primarily select beef bulls with short gestation lengths and easy calving, without considering the beef carcass merit of potential progeny when choosing beef sires for dairy females.
The CBV genetic trends had been decreasing since 2010 but have stabilised since 2019, coinciding with the introduction of the dairy beef index (DBI).
In recent times, there has been increased scrutiny of the quality of beef calves originating from the dairy herd, driven by concerns about future live exports and the impending ban on calf slaughter scheduled for early next year in Ireland.
Analysis of calf outcomes has revealed a notable increase in the number of dairy-bred calves being slaughtered (+15.95%) and calves being exported (+18.4%) this year, according to ICBF.
ICBF recommends the use of tools such as the DBI and the CBV to enhance the beef merit of dairy-bred calves, ensuring that more dairy-bred beef calves meet minimum factory specifications.
The number of dairy cows in Ireland has risen from one million in 2010 to 1.6 million in 2022, representing a 60% increase in dairy cow numbers. In 2010, there were 364,570 dairy-beef calves born, compared to 734,688 in 2022. The number of beef births from dairy cows has doubled, and this trend is expected to continue over the next decade, with the ICBF predicting that around 900,000 dairy beef calves will be born in Ireland by 2032, further boosting beef production from dairy herds.
- Agriland
