It’s hard to be positive in the suckler sector at the moment. Farmers are questioning the future of the cow with many looking to alternative enterprises to seek out other options.

A high-cost 2018, along with a poor start to 2019 beef prices, has compounded cashflow problems with many farmers now questioning their future in cows. This decline has already started with over 40,000 less suckler beef registrations in 2018 and an indication of a further decline on 2019. It’s hard to come up with answers.

Some farm organisations have called for an end to EU supports and to allow our beef price rise and get a fair price for it. In my view, this is reckless and can’t happen. If we took away supports from the suckler cow, this would decimate our industry. In the past 10 years, we have seen suckler cow supports drop by between €150 and €200/cow.

Suckler farmers have taken this hit through decreased supports in the Basic Payment Scheme, ANC payments, environmental payments and other schemes. This has hit the industry hard and it is one of the reasons we see the transfer of some top-end producers into dairying, while others reduce numbers. For those who stay in the business, technical efficiency will never be more important.

Matthew Halpin sat down with the owners of the Tomschoice herd in the UK to talk about their path to success and how breeding has turned things around for the pedigree herd.

Nathan Tuffy reports from a recent Teagasc suckler cow conference in Castlebar where Dr Alan Kelly from UCD outlined the cost of keeping a suckler cow and how farmers can reduce this cost.

We also take a look at some important BDGP dates and deadlines that farmers need to be aware of in 2019.

Journal vet Tommy Heffernan profiles some important health tips on, which suckler farmers can employ over the next six weeks.