Teagasc Future Beef Programme – Sustainable Cattle Production
The Teagasc Future Beef Programme – Sustainable Cattle Production has been launched. The aim of the Future Beef Programme is to demonstrate to beef farmers how they can produce a quality product as efficiently as possible to make beef farming more profitable, while also making it more environmentally and socially sustainable. The Future Beef Programme involves 24 farms and is also part of the Teagasc Signpost Programme, ‘Farmers for Climate Action’. The programme is predominantly based around suckler beef production. The Future Beef Programme is supported through Meat Industry Ireland by ten meat processing companies.
Speaking at the Launch, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD said: “I am delighted to see this new Teagasc Future Beef Programme come to fruition. Such initiatives that put profitability as well as technical efficiencies improvements at its core is crucial to ensure that we continue to have a vibrant beef sector. I commend Oliver and the other farmers in the Future Beef Programme for their initiative and their willingness to embrace change to meet the challenges facing cattle farmers. Adopting new technologies and enhancing existing farming practices will help to build more resilient and sustainable suckler beef production systems for the years ahead.”
Commenting at the launch, Joe Ryan of Meat Industry Ireland (MII) said: “MII members are delighted to support this important initiative, both financially and through close collaboration with Teagasc and the Signpost Future Beef farmers. While Ireland is already a world-leader in sustainable grass-fed beef and lamb production, the sector acknowledges that it must continue to improve its sustainability credentials and be part of climate change solutions. The Signpost Farms programme will demonstrate that the widespread adoption of measures such as animal breeding, animal health, grass management, earlier finishing and other technologies can help the sector reduce emissions and further underpin sustainability”.
Director of Teagasc, Professor Frank O’Mara said: “The key objectives of the exciting new programme is to create more profitable farms, while reducing greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions, improving water quality and improving biodiversity. I would like to thank Oliver and the other participating farmers in Future Beef for being the pioneers in this programme and allowing other cattle producers to learn from what they put into practice on their farms. I also want to acknowledge the support of Meat Industry Ireland and the 10 meat factories who are partners in the programme.”
The team of Advisors to lead the new Future Beef Programme – Sustainable Cattle Production, are Cattle Specialist Martina Harrington and Future Beef Advisors Gabriel Trayers and Aisling Molloy.
For more details see https://www.teagasc.ie/
