Irish Hereford Prime has announced a bonus of up to 25c/kg for all Hereford cattle pre-booked this spring and early summer.
The higher bonus will be available at all ABP Food Group and Kepak Group sites throughout Ireland for qualifying steers and heifers.
The spring/summer 2023 off-season bonus will be available from March 20 to May 19, 2023 (weeks 12-20).
Only animals booked in by February 17, 2023 will be eligible for the higher off-season bonus.
Commenting on the announcement, Niall O’Mahony, chair of Irish Hereford Prime said he is “confident this additional bonus for the period until May 19, will come as further evidence that the branding and promotion of a premium product is essential to growing market share for Hereford beef”.
“We have seen the number of Hereford qualifying cattle through the producer group continue to grow,” he added.
“Demand for our beef is very strong, we are increasingly meeting sustainability targets at farm level with cattle finishing at younger ages, while maintaining carcass specifications and our beef genetics sustainability programme is beginning to show real potential”.
Irish Hereford Prime and sustainability
Continuing to invest in its beef genetics sustainability programme, Irish Hereford Prime sees the Hereford artificial insemination (AI) sires initiative, in partnership with Dovea Genetics, as “one of the main pillars of an enhanced sustainability policy for their beef brand”.
Following on from the initial purchase of three bulls in the first year of the programme in 2021, an additional two new Hereford sires were sourced in 2022.
Straws from all five bulls on the programme are available for use in the upcoming breeding season, with each of the five bulls now boasting five stars across breed on the Dairy-Beef Index in the latest Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) evaluation.
The first calves from the initial three bulls are currently arriving on the ground and their progeny look very promising with ease of calving and short gestation remaining key.
Farmers interested in sourcing AI straws or calves for their farm from any of the bulls on the programme are welcome to make enquiries through the producer groups’ website.