There was only a €53 difference between the beef carcases of steers bred from Jersey-cross cows and those bred from Holstein Friesian cows, when both were sired by Angus bulls.

New research from Teagasc, presented at its national DairyBEEF open day in Johnstown Castle on Tuesday showed that the main difference between the different cow types was the carcase weight and age at slaughter, while conformation and fat score were relatively similar, regardless of dam type.

Alan Twomey of Teagasc said the difference in carcase value was only €53 for Angus progeny from first-cross dams (50% Jersey) compared with Angus progeny from purebred Holstein Friesian dams.

“It’s hard to tell the difference in the carcase when it’s hanging up,” Twomey said.

With dairy cow numbers increasing to 1.5m in 2019 and suckler cow numbers in decline, Teagasc predicts a renewed interest in dairy calf-to-beef systems.

Research has shown that one of the most profitable systems is the early maturing dairy cross heifer finished at 19 to 20 months of age.

Padraig French, Teagasc’s head of livestock systems, said the Irish beef industry is currently facing some very significant challenges, “not least from the low profitability at farm level and environmental targets to be met from production systems and dairy beef systems can play a role in making improvements”.