Grass-fed is the party line when we compare Irish dairy products to dairy products produced on the continent, in the US or across any of the Asian countries; but what actually constitutes grass-fed milk? Why is it better? And why does it need to be policed?

The advantages of grass-fed

In Ireland, we are the beneficiaries of a temperate climate that allows us to grow grass and farm in a way that few other countries can.

Grass has long been the pillar of Irish farming systems, particularly when it comes to milk production.

In 2020, a paper from a team at UCD and Teagasc’s Laurence Shalloo, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, found that milk produced from grass-based systems has a different nutritional profile to milk from total mixed ration systems.

The milk contains higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), as well as a more favourable omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.

These fatty acids are associated with heart and brain health, while CLA has been studied for its potential benefits to metabolism and inflammation.

Grass-fed dairy also has its benefits around animal welfare, allowing cows greater opportunities to practice their natural grazing behaviour, as well as environmental and economic advantages.

Economically, grass is what helps keep Irish dairy farming competitive from a cost point of view.

Our European and American counterparts benefit from lower feed costs and greater opportunities to scale up production. Because of geography, policy and the structure of Irish agriculture, Irish dairy farms cannot compete with these systems on scale. Instead, our competitive advantage lies in maximising the amount of milk produced from grazed grass, keeping production costs under control and extracting as much value as possible from our grass-based system.

Ultimately, Irish dairy products must compete on the same international market as milk produced from much larger-scale systems.

Current standard

The grass-fed standard was introduced by Bord Bia, Teagasc, DAFM and the dairy co-op’s as a quantifiable standard for Irish dairy farmers to meet.

A number that seperates different systems, offers clear rules and guidelines and ultimately encourages a grass-based approach to dairy farming.

According to Teagasc’s Laurence Shalloo, after years of research the number they felt was fair and reflected practices in Irish farming was 90% grass-fed on individual farms and a 95% grass-fed standard across a milk pool. This means that an individual dairy herd must have at least 90% of its diet coming from grass or grass-based forage, calculated on a fresh-weight basis, over a three-year rolling average.

This figure rises to 95% for a milk pool. A milk pool can be described as 20 to 30 farmers in a similar area, with milk going to the same milk processing plant.

Across that pool, the average proportion of grass and grass-based forage in cows’ diets must reach at least 95% on a fresh-weight basis.

On top of these percentages, there is a days at grass standard. To qualify, a herd of cows must be at grass for at least 160 days.

This is based on a target of 240 days, the national average, with an allowance of 80 days less for farms suffering difficult grazing conditions.

Zero-grazing, therefore, does not count as a day at grass, but does count in the 95% grass-fed calculation.

How is the number calculated?

The figure of 95% is arrived at via a back calculation, assessing the cow’s estimated energy requirement. The energy figure is based on maintenance values for milk output in kilos of milk solids, and energy required for pregnancy, walking, etc.

This figure is worked out on a UFL basis and then converted to dry matter feed intake.

From there, the fresh weights of different feeds can be assumed and calculated to see the breakdown of the diet.

Examples

Table 1 demonstrates how different feeding strategies can affect whether a herd meets the 90% grass-fed threshold, even where milk solids production is identical.

All four herds produce 500kg MS/cow, but the proportion of grass in the diet ranges from 89.4% to 97.3%.

Farmer one, feeding 800kg of concentrate per cow, records the highest grass-fed figure at 97.3%, with an estimated 3,691kg DM of grazed grass consumed per cow.

As concentrate feeding increases, grazed grass intake declines. Farmer two feeds 1,500kg and drops to 94.2%.

This farmers milk is okay to go in a grass-fed product provided the pool of milk meets the average 95% standard. Farmer three feeds 2,000kg of meal, meaning the farm just qualifies for grass-fed milk, but several farms like this in a milk pool will make it very difficult for the pool to qualify.

Farmer four, despite feeding considerably less concentrate than Farmer three at 1,200kg/cow, has a lower grass-fed percentage as the inclusion of 1,550kg fresh weight of maize silage, reduces the grass-fed proportion to 89.4%, bringing the herd below the 90% threshold.

Policing standards

Bord Bia is the body responsible for monitoring standards around grass-fed milk in Ireland, alongside co-ops themselves. Monitoring is done through the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS) audit and using technology in the processing plants to analyse milk profiles.

The SDAS audit looks at the amount of feed purchased on a monthly basis, days at grass, grass growth records if they are available and cow numbers to assess the breakdown of the herds diet across the year.

These audits are carried out every 18 months and based on the data farms are classified under a traffic light system.

Farms with milk produced from a greater than 95% grass-based diet are given a green light, farms with greater than 90% grass-fed, but less than 95%, are given an amber light and those farms with less than 90% grass-based diets, or less than 160 days at grass are given a red light.

Farms with a red light cannot produce grass-fed milk for the likes of Ornua products unless their status changes, which is decided at the next audit.

Amber farms can qualify for grass-fed milk if the rest of the milk pool brings the average above 95% as seen for farmer B in Figure 1 and the green light farms milk can always go as grass-fed.

In next weeks dairy pages, the Irish Farmer’s Journal will delve deeper into the grass-fed standard and the potential opportunities it holds for capturing more value in the market.

Comment

The grass-fed standard has become an important marketing tool for Irish dairy, helping to differentiate products such as butter and cheese in key export markets including the US and Germany.

Speaking to those within the industry, however, there is a feeling that its potential has yet to be fully realised.

Grass-fed milk powders and whey proteins are among the products that could offer further opportunities to extract value from Ireland’s grass-based production system.

“The ambition for the standard is to attract more value for Irish dairy products,” according to Bord Bia’s head of dairy, David Kennedy.

That is arguably the next step for the Irish dairy industry; finding new ways to capture additional value from one of the characteristics that sets Irish milk apart from the majority of its international competitors.

But what are the consequences of failing to meet the standard?

At an industry level, falling short risks weakening one of Irish dairy’s key points of differentiation. At farm level, however, there is currently no direct financial consequence.

A farmer whose herd does not qualify under the grass-fed standard can receive the same milk price as a farmer whose herd does.

This raises the question: if grass-fed milk is being marketed as a premium product and used to generate additional value in export markets, should that value be returned to only those farmers producing it?