New once-bred heifer scheme

By Justin McCarthy

The suckler sector received a major boost this week with the announcement that one of the country's leading beef processors are to work with farmers to develop a once-bred heifer production system. Teagasc research has shown that the production system has the potential to significantly increase the output generated from heifer weanlings.

Speaking at the Teagasc/Irish Farmers Journal suckler meeting in Kilkenny last night, Paul Nolan from Dawn Meats told farmers that in consultation with their Continental customers, they had developed a protocol that would allow for heifers to be calved down prior to fattening them.

Nolan told farmers that provided the animals were produced to the correct specification, the price paid for the once-bred heifer would be the same as the base price paid for steers and that they would be paid under the Quality Payment System (QPS).

While the age limit for slaughter would be 36 months, heifers slaughtered under 30 months would receive the 6c/kg in-spec Quality Assurance (QA) payment. The 36-month age limit would afford farmers the option of allowing the heifer to rear the calf prior to fattening her. Other key criteria that farmers will have to adhere to are:

• Heifers must be &tq; continental bred.

• Inseminated from 2010.

• Not inseminated under 15months or under 360kg liveweight.

• Inseminated to an easycalving beef breed bull.

• Slaughtered within a weight range of 300kg to 380kg deadweight.

• Farmer must be part of the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme.

• Part of the newly launched Dawn Meats Save our Sucklers (SOS) club.

Farmers will also receive €40 per heifer under the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme (SCWS) provided they comply with the regulations of the scheme.

Research work carried out at the Teagasc Beef Research Centre in Grange and at the Agri-Food and Bio-science Institute (AFBI) in Hillsborough has shown the system to have the potential to significantly increase output from the suckler herd.

Based on current market prices, the AFBI work showed the potential to increase margin per head by over €300 per head, depending on slaughter age.

The new production system also has the potential to rapidly improve the quality of the national suckler herd. Farmers will be able to transfer the top quality heifers into the suckler herd as opposed to fattening.

This supply of quality breeding stock will provide the sector with the opportunity to remove unproductive and poor quality cows from the herd.

Full details on the production system in next week's Irish Farmers Journal.