The first paper at next week’s Teagasc beef conference will be presented by Aidan Murray, Paul Crossan and Alan Dillon and they will outline how technical efficiency on suckler beef farms can drive farm profit.

Improvements in technical efficiency have led to substantial increases in profitability for the top third cohort of suckler calf-to-beef farmers completing profit monitor analysis. When adjusted for beef price increases, the top third have increased net margin from €293/ha to €380/ha for 2008 to 2018.

Premia as a percentage of total farm profit has reduced from 63% to 57% in this time period.

Andrew Cromie from ICBF will outline how BDGP and BEEP have helped to improve key performance indicators on farms over the past four years. Of the first females that calved in BDGP herds and were weighed as part of the BEEP, five-star cows were, on average, 16kg lighter than one-star cows and yet had an 8kg heavier weanling, representing a 2% gain in weanling efficiency.

Calf exports reached record levels, and will account for approximately two-thirds of total live exports in 2019

Joe Burke from Bord Bia will outline how international markets are of growing importance to Irish beef exports and how live exports of cattle from Ireland increased by more than 20% in comparison with 2018, and are likely to reach 300,000 head by the year-end.

Calf exports reached record levels, and will account for approximately two-thirds of total live exports in 2019.

Finally, Donagh Berry will look at what can be achieved with the genetics of meat-eating quality. Characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness and flavour are becoming increasingly important in maintaining demand for beef products.

A panel discussion will take place during the second half of the conference where climate change, animal welfare, CAP reform and Brexit will all be discussed along with what the future looks like for Irish beef farmers. I will be facilitating the discussion and if readers would like any questions asked to the panel, email them to awoods@farmersjournal.ie.

Panel members

Dr Kevin Hanrahan is head of Teagasc’s rural economy development programme. Kevin’s current work focuses on the impact of Brexit, ongoing EU preferential trade agreements and CAP reform on the Irish agricultural economy.

Dale Crammond is an agricultural inspector working in the climate change and bioenergy division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.

Dale recently returned from Washington DC, where he was on secondment to the Department of Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2019.

Ian Marshall was elected to serve as an independent senator in Seanad Éireann in April 2018 following a nomination by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Dr Bernadette Earley is employed as a principal research scientist in the animal and bioscience research department

In addition, he works within Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), in the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) as a business development manager.

Dr Bernadette Earley is employed as a principal research scientist in the animal and bioscience research department.

Dr Earley has published research findings on five animal husbandry management practices – weaning, transport, housing, disbudding and castration.

Comment

2019 has been a year to forget for many. When you add the pressures of low beef price, climate change, alternative diets, CAP reform and a Mercosur trade deal, the industry has a huge range of issues to deal with. In relation to climate change and alternative diets, science and facts should be to the fore of any policy decision-making process.

Teagasc has a vital role to play in informing farmers with science-based facts to engage in debate when these issues arise

Unfortunately, public opinion and social media posts are often to the forefront of any argument. Teagasc has a vital role to play in informing farmers with science-based facts to engage in debate when these issues arise.

Farmers need to be able to defend themselves and their production systems and argue points with detractors when it is appropriate to do so. This year’s conference will hopefully take some steps along the long road that we face in terms of defending sustainable agriculture and also provide some vision as to what direction the industry is heading for the next 10 years.