Series of beef and sheep farm walks to begin this autumn

A series of farm walks aimed at beef and sheep farmers are set to be hosted by Bord Bia and Teagasc this autumn.

The farm walks are designed to inform beef and sheep farmers about Bord Bia’s Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) and to assist farmers in preparations for their audit.

The first in the series will kick off on Wednesday evening, September 11, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm in Co. Limerick.

Following on from a previous Bord Bia / Teagasc walk in Clonakilty back in July, the first autumn farm walk will take place in Salesian Agricultural College in Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick.

Following this, there will be a walk at Kildalton Agricultural College, Kilkenny, on Wednesday, September 25; one at Mountbellew Agri College, Galway, on Friday, October 4; one in Sligo on Wednesday, October 9; and finally finishing with a farm walk in Monaghan.

Speaking about the walks, Bord Bia’s quality assurance manager, Mick Houlihan, said:

“In hosting these walks, Bord Bia wants to support farmers in their continued participation in the Quality Assurance schemes.

“Through their commitment to SBLAS, farmers are ensuring that we continue to grow exports to international markets which have high demands around food safety, animal welfare, sustainability, and health and nutrition.”

Bord Bia auditors will demonstrate some of the common non-compliance areas in the audit and how to avoid these errors.

Each attendee will also receive a Quality Assurance Information Booklet which will clearly outline what is required of farmers to prepare for their SBLAS audit.

Farmer feedback report

Bord Bia will also present on the new farmer feedback report that all Quality Assured farmers are set to receive from September, following their audit.

The data gathered will be used to generate a feedback report which includes a summary of the farm’s environmental performance and advice on how to improve efficiencies.

The feedback will be formulated in collaboration with Teagasc and focus on measures set out in the Teagasc marginal abatement cost curve (MACC).

For those interested, further details on the farm walks can be found on the Bord Bia website here.