Analysis of calf registration data for the first nine months of the year shows another big jump in the number of Angus and Hereford birth registrations.

The number of Angus births increased by 35,867 head to 363,107, with Herefords recording a similar increase of 33,408 head for a total of 229,094.

The average value achieved by the Angus and Hereford-cross calves tends to be €150 per head above that of a pure Holstein-Friesian bull calf

Both breeds have recorded massive growth since 2013 with dairy farmers utilising Angus and Hereford genetics to a much greater extent.

The dairy/beef dam breakdown is not available for 2017 but the trend has continued on an upward trajectory and actually brought about a significant reduction of 46,351 fewer Friesian births.

Question marks

There have been growing questions of late asking if the beef market can continue to handle growing volumes of Angus and Hereford stock and return a premium payment to producers.

There have also been greater concerns regarding the quality of these calves coming from the dairy herd stemming from a combination of increased sire usage across crossbred cows with Holstein Friesian cows with poorer beef credentials and a focus on using easy -calving and short gestation sires, which in most cases have very poor carcase conformation and growth attributes.

Some 75% to 80% of calf registrations to these two breeds relate to crosses from the dairy herd. There has been a far more significant uplift in the number of dairy-beef crosses than in pure dairy-bred calves, partly due to the demand for dairy heifers abaiting.

Bord Bia’s livestock sector manager Joe Burke said the increase in births has been driven by the market.

“The average value achieved by the Angus and Hereford-cross calves tends to be €150 per head above that of a pure Holstein-Friesian bull calf, which represents a valuable income stream for many dairy farmers,” Burke said.

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