Up to 70c/kg in beef price bonuses are available to farmers supplying beef cattle meeting certain specifications this autumn.
On Thursday, September 19, at the National Ploughing Championships, Agriland caught up with Paul O’Brien who is a beef farmer from Innishannon in Co. Cork.
O’Brien is a member of ABP Food Group’s Advantage Beef Programme which offers farmers a 20c/kg sustainability bonus on all qualifying cattle.
The Cork-based farmer has also booked Angus heifers into the Certified Irish Angus 30c/kg off-season bonus available on eligible Angus cattle slaughtered between Monday, October 7, and Friday, November 15.
When these two bonuses and the 20c/kg Quality Payment Scheme (QPS) bonus is added, it brings the overall price paid for eligible cattle to 70c/kg above their grid price.
O’Brien said: “I’ve a few Angus cattle to go in about six weeks and they should be qualifying for all them beef price bonuses.”
O’Brien supplies cattle to ABP Bandon and his Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison officer is Gavin Healy.
Commenting on the processor-led sustainability initiative, O’Connor said: “The Advantage Beef Programme initiative is working well for our farm.
“We have a representative from the factory to get in touch with and to know what type of cattle that they want. There’s no point in sending in cattle they don’t want or cattle that are not the spec they want,” the Cork farmer added.