Department plan for reducing cattle slaughter age delayed

The Department of Agriculture has missed the target set for publishing an action plan aimed at reducing the average age of prime cattle at slaughter.

Reducing age at slaughter is listed as an action in the Climate Action Plan to cut methane emissions from the beef sector.

The plan targets an average slaughter age of between 24 and 25 months for prime cattle this year, falling to 22 to 23 months over the next five years.

Research suggests that every one month cut from the average age of prime cattle at slaughter saves the equivalent emissions of approximately 100,000 cows.

However, the 2025 Climate Action Plan stated that the Department should engage with stakeholders and put together a plan outlining how these targets are to be met by the end of June this year.

“The earlier age of slaughter action plan is expected to be published later this year. Stakeholder engagement will occur as part of the process,” the Department told the Irish Farmers Journal.

The average age of cattle at slaughter increased to 26.5 months across all categories of prime cattle last year by around 10 to 12 days on the previous year’s kill.

The average slaughter age for steers, heifers and young bulls rose to 27.3, 26.4 and 19.5 months in 2024 respectively.

Steers were killed at an average age of 27.6 months, heifers at 26.4 months and young bulls at 19.5 months.

However, these ages are still over a month lower than they had been 10 years ago.

Other 2025 emissions developments

Separately, the 2025 Climate Action Plan lists the publication of a framework looking to reduce the cost of organic feed as a measure to be completed before the end of the year.

A mid-term review of the forestry programme and an examination of “industry measures to encourage the usage of protected urea” are to be completed before 2025 is out under the plan.

The process is to be started of securing funding and developing schemes seeking to reduce the “management intensity of grassland on drained organic soils” and improve grassland management by September also.