The dairy beef sector is to be reported as a separate cattle enterprise in the Teagasc national farm survey (NFS).

The move is to monitor the sector’s annual financial and technical situation.

Currently, the survey recognises two types of beef production systems – suckler farms and beef finishing farms.

The change is one of a number of actions in the new 10-point action plan for dairy beef systems.

A series of factsheets on the key performance benchmarks for dairy beef systems that prioritise high farm profitability, high-nutritional low-carbon footprint beef, low-purchase nitrogen surplus per hectare and high animal welfare ethical management practices are to be published by Teagasc.

Breeding

Targeted communication is to issue to dairy farmers to incorporate sexed semen into their plans for generating replacement heifers and clear communication on the optimum strategies to use sexed semen technology is to be provided.

The increased use of AI bulls with high dairy beef index (DBI) genetics is to be promoted on dairy farms under the plan and ICOS will engage with marts to ensure that the commercial beef value (CBV) is clearly communicated to farmers buying calves.

Grants and knowledge transfer

The Department of Agriculture is to host a specific TAMS webinar on calf housing investment items and communications on TAMS 3 advice is to issue to farmers for dairy beef investments.

Specialist speakers on dairy beef production are to be included in the knowledge transfer scheme, while meat and dairy processors are to encourage the uptake of dairy beef technologies and integration.

Bord Bia is to include dairy beef in the scope of market communications on quality beef from Ireland.

For more on the plan, see next week’s Irish Farmers Journal.