A shortage in the supply of Irish suckler-bred beef cattle is “looming”, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) beef chair, Edmund Graham has warned.
Reacting to the news that the number of suckler-bred calves registered in Ireland to date, this year, has fallen by over 51,500 head, Graham said the figures make for stark reading but added that the fall in numbers is “plain to be seen in marts around the country”.
He said: “There’s over 51,500 fewer suckler-bred weanlings registered so far this year and unless the drop in numbers starts to tail-off very soon, we are going to see a real shortage.”
The ICSA beef chair believes a shortage in supply is coming “for two reasons”.
“There’s a serious export market for the top-quality weanlings and this market seems to be growing every year and also, there’s less weanlings available every year due to a drop-off in suckler production.
“There are a lot of farmers out there who will buy nothing only the top-quality continental-bred cattle.”
He added that many of these customers have full-time jobs off farm and are willing to pay what it takes to buy these type of stock to graze their land during the summer months.
He also highlighted that the age profile of the producers of suckler-bred cattle is increasing and said that without more young people coming into the sector, the supply will continue to decline into the future.
Fall in carcass weights
The issue is not just exclusive to farmer-customers of suckler-bred cattle; the falling supplies of suckler-beef is also being felt by beef processors as carcass weights are continuing to fall.
While most beef processors do not want overly-heavy carcasses and have a preference for an in-spec carcass below 400kg, the average carcass weights for steers and heifers are currently well below this.
The Bord Bia Irish beef market outlook recently shed light on how carcass weights have been performing this year.
It noted that steer carcass weights, to date this year, have declined by 3% with the average steer carcass weight at 345kg.
Heifer carcass weights have declined by 2% leaving the average heifer carcass weight this year at 311kg.
Cow carcass weights have fallen by 4% and the average cow carcass weight, to date this year, stands at 303kg.
Alternatively, young bull carcass weights have increased this year with the average carcass weight up 3% to 379kg.
Young bull beef production is generally associated with cattle originating from suckler systems.
According to Bord Bia, the lower weights reflect the growing proportion of dairy animals in the total.
Reduced grass quality over the summer months and lower concentrate feed usage also attributed to these reduced carcass weights, according to the outlook report.
The proportion of steers grading an R is down from 30% in 2021 to 25% to date, in 2023. Heifers grading R were down from 43% to 36% over the same time period.
At a time when there is a growing emphasis on efficiency and sustainability in the beef sector, falling carcass weights is an issue which will undoubtedly have to be addressed.