The Dairy Beef Calf Programme has brought about increased weighing of dairy beef cattle in Ireland, the ICBF has said.

In total over 19,300 weights have been submitted as of yesterday (Thursday, August 12) in 2021 from herds participating in the scheme, the federation notes.

Of these 19,300 weights, there are over 16,600 eligible calves weighed and recorded. The remaining weights are recorded from ineligible animals and birth weights, it was added.

Continuing, the federation says that there are a significant amount of extra weights being recorded on the ICBF database as a result of this programme “that most likely wouldn’t have been gathered otherwise”.

All of this extra weight data will help contribute to improving the reliability of genetic evaluations into the future, the ICBF maintains.

There are also a small number of eligible weights recorded where there is no scales registered.

On a related note, the group highlights that it is important to remember that a scales must be registered this year with the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Suckler (BEEP-S) scheme in order for a herd to receive payment for the work done in the programme.

There are 734 herds with eligible weights and a scales registered, borrowed or rented to date.

Dairy Beef Calf Programme

The €5 million Dairy Beef Calf measure was announced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the new Beef Sector Efficiency Pilot back in March.

According to the department at the time, the objective of “this new scheme is to increase the economic and environmental efficiency of beef from the dairy herd, and to facilitate further the integration of the dairy and beef sectors by providing support for farmers who are rearing progeny from the dairy herd”.