The Irish Grassland Association (IGA) hosted its beef event on Tuesday evening, June 13, on the suckler farm of Chris McCarthy, near Crookedwood, Co. Westmeath.
Industry experts and farmers alike were all astounded by the performance figures on the 45-cow suckler farm which homegrown grass and grass silage make up over 80% of the total feed used, with the rest being concentrate feed.
The star performers on the farm are clearly the male progeny from Chris’ suckler herd, which are all finished at under-16-months of age as bull beef with an impressive average carcass weight of 460kg.
Teagasc beef specialist Aidan Murry highlighted that the male cattle on the farm are essentially gaining 1kg carcass weight/day from birth to slaughter.
The emphasis on good grass utilisation and paddock management were clear to be seen on the farm and Chris explained that the bull-beef shed finish is the one that suits his system best.
The Irish beef industry is currently examining ways to reduce emissions from the sector and younger age at slaughter, good grass utilisation and improved daily liveweight gain from cattle are all ways the sector hopes to reduce its emissions.
The IGA Beef Event host farm is ticking all the boxes for these emission-cutting mechanisms, however it was baffling to hear that the low-emission end beef product being produced on the farm is essentially not the market preference.
Chris emphasised it is essential for bull-beef producers to have “a good working relationship” with their beef processor with clear communication before venturing down the road of bull beef production.
Where farmers are producing bull beef, the preferred carcass weight is approximately 400kg with less preference often shown towards heavier-type bulls.
Beef processors are always weary of their suppliers getting involved in bull-beef production and understandably so because while the system is ticking all the emission-reduction boxes, it is not what the market currently demands.
Key Irish beef markets have a preference for heifer and steer (bullock) beef because, according to Bord Bia, there are fewer market outlets available for bull beef, than for steer or heifer beef.
Throughout the past decade, Bord Bia has noted that feedback from the market has consistently been that young bull beef is viewed as a commodity product, similar to what is abundantly available across the continent.
A sample of the top-quality bulls finished on the farm:
So while the system the farm operates is both high output and low emissions, it unfortunately is not a system that can be replicated industry-wide as the end product is not currently recognised by the consumer as a premium.
The event brought to light an issue that is causing a considerable level of frustration amongst suckler farmers: Efficient young bull-beef systems have a reduced slaughter age coupled with good carcass performance but it is not currently recognised as a premium product in the same way that prime Irish heifer and steer beef is.