Beef farmers have been urged to attend the 2023 Teagasc National Beef Conference which takes place on Tuesday, November 21, at the Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway.

Speaking to Agriland, Teagasc's head of drystock Pearse Kelly encouraged beef farmers to attend the event saying "it's an opportunity for beef farmers to hear the latest research in their sector, have their say and meet with industry personnel".

The theme for the 2023 event is ‘improving our beef sector’s green credentials’.

According to Teagasc, the event is an opportunity for beef farmers to hear a number of beef talks and to meet with researchers, advisors, and key industry personnel from Ireland and further afield.

At 5:00p.m, Teagasc’s regional manager for Galway will welcome guests to the event which is free to attend. This will then be followed by the opening address for the conference, which will be delivered by Teagasc director, Dr. Frank O’Mara. 

Session 1: Implementing sustainable technologies on beef farms

5:20p.m: An overview of updates and modifications to the Irish suckler beef breeding indexes. This will be delivered by Paul Crosson, beef enterprise leader, Teagasc Grange;
5:45p.m: Low-input, high-output dairy-beef heifer systems. This will be presented by Ellen Fitzpatrick, Johnstown Castle Research Centre, Teagasc;
6:10p.m: Impacts and control of IBR. This will be presented by Dr. Maria Guelbenzu, BVD and IBR programme manager for Animal Health Ireland (AHI).

At approximately 6:45p.m, there will be a short break with refreshments served.

Session 2: Increasing our competitive advantage on the global stage

7:15p.m: Drivers of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on cattle demonstration farms delivered by Teagasc’s Dr. Siobhan Kavanagh;
7:40pm: Certification schemes in France – paying farmers for their carbon footprint reductions delivered by Anais L’Hote, project manager at Idele, French Livestock Institute;
8:05pm: World outlook for beef prices and input costs delivered by Rupert Claxton, Meat and Livestock director, Gira.

Once the two sessions are complete, there will be time allowed at the end for a discussion and the conference will draw to a close at 8:45p.m.