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Irish dairy farmers have been warned that they need to learn from mistakes made by the New Zealand dairy industry on the issue of the euthanasia of low-value dairy bred bull or “bobby calves”.
John Penno a director at Synlait, a company which produces infant formula, addressed farmers and industry professionals at the Irish Farmers Journal Dairy Day, warning them not to allow a bobby calf industry to develop.
Penno urged those in attendance to develop a strategy for managing dairy bred bull calves that meet with consumer expectations.
A lot of farmers are euthanising calves. It’s kind of like a big secret that dairy has
He said the issue of on-farm euthanasia was unpalatable to the majority of consumers and outlined that teenage girls were the driving force behind plant-based dairy alternative drinks, with their attitude and concerns towards animal welfare key to their food choices.
He pointed out that this demographic would continue to drive consumer demands in the future as they became wives and mothers and shopped for families of their own.
‘Big secret’
His concern of the bobby calf issue was reflected by Cumbrian farmer Robert Craig of First Milk later in the day when he spoke about dealing with surplus calves.
“A lot of farmers are euthanising calves. It’s kind of like a big secret that dairy has,” he said.
“We’re very worried but I don’t think consumers know a lot about what is going on yet.”
Craig said the UK dairy industry is fearful of a big media exposé and a potential backlash from consumers.
Dairy specialist with the Irish Farmers Journal Aidan Brennan stated that Ireland did not have the same scale of calf euthanasia as the UK, but acknowledged that it still is an issue for the Irish dairy industry.
Exports
Currently, Ireland relies on live exports to ship a large number of dairy-bred calves to the continent, with almost 200,000 calves exported this year.
Speakers at the discussion, including Irish Farmers Journal beef editor Adam Woods and Bernard Eivers, the CEO of the National Cattle Breeding Centre, voiced concern about the continuation of live exports. They emphasised the need for excellent on-farm calf welfare.
They also highlighted the need for improved solutions for dairy farmers to the dairy bull calf issue. This included improved sexed semen and breeding techniques that would deliver a better quality calf that could be of value to the Irish beef industry.
Woods said that going forward co-ops may be forced to develop programmes to help farmers raise dairy-bred calves, but that ultimately the beef and dairy industry need to work together going forward.
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