Beef Production in Ireland

Beef Production in Ireland

• National Importance
  2/3 of farms in Ireland have some beef production.
  90% of beef produced in Ireland is exported.
  1/3 exported to UK, 1/3 exported to other EU countries (France, Germany) and 1/3 exported to countries outside EU (Egypt, Libya, Iran)
  Most of the calves for beef production come from dairy herd.
  Beef farming is based, mainly, on grassland utilisation.
• Different Beef Enterprises in Ireland
  Calf to beef in two years
  Suckler herd
  Bull beef production
  Heifer beef production
  Culled cow finishing
• Breed
  Dairy farmers tend to use bulls that are good at producing animals that will milk well.
  They use Friesians or Holsteins, keep the heifer calves and milk them, and use the male calves for beef production.
  Friesian or Holstein calves are not suitable for beef production because they do not produce a high quality carcass.
  Some dairy cows will be put in calf to beef bulls and their offspring are more suitable for beef production but still not as good as calves bred from suckler cows.
• Beef Breeds
  There are two categories of beef breeds:
  –British Beef Breeds
  •Hereford
  •Aberdeen Angus
  –Continental Beef Breeds
  •Charolais
  •Limousin
  •Simmental
  •Belgian Blue
• Beef Breeds cont.
  British beef breeds will reach maturity earlier than Continentals and at lower weights.
  British breeds will not produce as high a quality carcass as Continental breeds.
  Continentals have higher weight gain and better conformation and are therefore the best beef breeds.
  Most suckler cows are a cross of Friesian x Hereford or pure Hereford and these are bred with Continental beef breeds.
• Comparison of Breeds
  Beef Breeds
  Block shaped.
  Head and neck short and thick.
  Hindquarters wide, well fleshed, broad shoulders.
  Shoulder blades well apart and well fleshed.
  Dairy Breeds
  Wedge shaped.
  Head and neck long and narrow.
  Hindquarters wide, not fleshed, shoulders narrow.
  Shoulder blades close together and not well fleshed.
• Growth Rates
  The speed at which an animal grows depends on what it is fed.
  If cattle are fed just concentrates they will grow quickly and will reach maturity and be slaughtered at just 1 year old.
  For a grassed based system as in Ireland it takes 1.5 – 2 years depending on level of feeding
  Continental breeds will be heavier at maturity than British breeds at maturity but it may take them a little over two years to mature.
• Compensatory Growth
  Most cattle in Ireland are not fed on a uniform plane of nutrition all the time.
  In winter cattle are fed moderate quality silage during what is called the store period.
  During this time their skeleton grows but they do put on very little flesh.
  Compensatory growth is growth which occurs when an animal is fed well after a period of restricted feeding (e.g. the store period)
• Compensatory Growth cont.
  So when animals are let out of the shed after the winter they grow very fast.
  Growth rates can be higher than if the cattle were fed at the same level all the time.
  Farmers in Ireland use this compensatory growth to their advantage as it keeps winter feed costs down and allows us to get the most out of grass which is cheap.
  Therefore compensatory growth allows farmers to have a low cost system which can be profitable.
• Two Year Old Beef
  When animals reach maturity at about two years old they start to produce a lot more fat.
  Consumers want lean meat not fatty meat and so animals should be slaughtered at two years old.
  Feed converted into fat is wasted as it is trimmed off the carcass and so the farmer looses money.
  Beef that takes three years to produce is inefficient and is a sign of poor farm management.
• Conformation
  Conformation refers to the shape of an animal and in particular the distribution of muscle on the body.
  Good conformation means muscle is concentrated in the parts of the carcass that have the most value i.e. hindquarters and back.
  The main factor influencing conformation is breed.
  Continentals have the best conformation followed by British beef breeds and the dairy breeds have the worst conformation.
• Grading Animals
  Animals are graded when they are slaughtered based on two criteria:
  1.Conformation (range from E {best} to P {worst})
  2.Fatness (range from 1 {leanest to 5 {fattest})
• Grading Animals cont.
  Most cattle in Ireland grade in area A but we want them in area B.
  If we can move the cattle to area B the cattle will be of high quality and suitable for export to valuable markets in France and Germany.
  The way we do this is to use Continental breeds and slaughter earlier
• Beef Production from the Dairy Herd Calf Rearing
  If calves are purchased they must be handled very carefully and weaned onto new diet.
  Buy calves from a farmer you know and trust.
  Transfer calves quickly and without stress.
• Calf Rearing cont.
  House calves in dry, draught-free sheds and let them rest and recover from their journey.
  Wean them onto their new diet gradually. Hay concentrates and clean water.
  Graze them as leaders in the leader follower system for the first summer.
• Rearing a Hereford X Friesian Beef Animal in 2 Years
  Calf:
  40kg
  Feeding consists of colostrum, milk (or milk replacer) and calf nuts and hay from day 10 to develop rumen. Water is available also.
  Parasites – scour may require treatment and lice may cause problems
  Lighter calves may require extra feeding
  Good housing with good ventilation and no draughts
• Rearing a Hereford X Friesian Beef Animal in 2 Years
  Calf at Weaning:
  75kg
  6 weeks – 8 weeks old
  Clean pasture, leaders in a leader follower system
  Continue feeding nut for 3-4 weeks
  Treat for stomach worms in June/July /August
  Watch for hoose/lungworm and treat if necessary
  Feed meals in autumn when grass becomes scarce
• 1st Winter
  200kg
  Production target is 0.6kg/day
  Group depending on size and feed accordingly
  Can use slats/straw bedded/cubicles
  1.4m2 floor space, 7m3 air space (good ventilation) and 0.3m feeding space per animal
  Feed top quality silage (70%+DMD) ad lib and meals (16%CP) to smaller animals. If silage is poor supplement with meals. Clean water available.
  Dose for worms and lice when entering shed and fluke 7-10 days later to kill all immature fluke
• 2nd Summer
  280kg
  Production target is 0.8kg/day (compensatory growth)
  Top quality grass, followers in a leader follower system
  Dose for worms, hoose and fluke as required
• 2nd Winter
  460kg
  Production target is 1kg/day
  Group depending on size and feed accordingly
  2.0m2 floor space, 10m3 air space (good ventilation) and 0.4m feeding space per animal
  Feed top quality silage (70%+DMD) ad lib and meals (16%CP) at a rate of 0.75kg per 100kg live weight if silage is poor quality. Clean water available.
  Dose for worms and lice when entering shed and fluke 7-10 days later to kill all immature fluke
  Ready for slaughter at 550kg at two years old
• Successful Calf to Beef System
  To produce a quality calf in a beef system the following must be taken into account:
  1.Good Grassland Management – Rotational grazing, calves grazing ahead, good application of fertilizer, resting the grassland for the winter.
  2.Good Housing – Slatted or cubicle housing will help to maintain target weight gains because food fed is used for Live Weight Gain and not to keep warm as happens with animals wintered outdoors.
  3.Good Husbandry – disease control such as parasites like lungworms, stomach worms, liver fluke and lice.
  4.Live weight gains – 0.7kg+/day should be the target with meals used to achieve this.
  5.Top Quality Silage – 3.5pH, 75% DMD, Golden.
  6.Good Stocking Rates – 3 weanlings/acre with a reduction as animals grow to 2/acre and 1/acre as grass growth curve drops.