Wanting again at 2021, it has been fairly a wierd 12 months. Regardless that there was a great cowl of grass on my paddocks in early February, due to the chilly climate it was late April earlier than I left the final of my cattle out.
My worries continued with the poor early summer time development, which led to ongoing considerations about thrive. The damaged climate in Might also meant my first-cut silage needed to be minimize and picked up on the identical day — hopefully it’ll prove OK.
Fortunately, manufacturing unit returns present I needn’t have fearful: there was a 7kg enchancment in carcass weight acquire, in comparison with 2020.
My Friesian cattle achieved a mean liveweight acquire for the 12 months of about 250kg on my unfertilised paddocks; so previous, pure swaths, excessive in biodiversity, are nonetheless nicely able to fattening beef cattle.
A bee and a butterfly on John’s farm in the summertime, underlining the biodiversity on his holding
This raises the query of why the essential significance of biodiversity to our ecosystems has been ignored for thus lengthy by our political and scientific group.
Again to the cattle… fats scores had been barely again, averaging halfway between a 3- and a 3=. This was disappointing as my cattle appeared far fleshier than standard when purchased in as shops final autumn.
Conformation grades remained the identical, with a two to 1 break up between P grades and O grades.
Folks could also be shocked that I’m not overly involved, however I nonetheless regard a great sturdy P+ to be an honest kind of bullock who will at all times kill out nicely.
For me, farming is a technique to make a dwelling, not a technique to impress the neighbours or win rosettes.
After all the most important and most welcome change this 12 months was the sturdy manufacturing unit costs. Mixed with the additional carcass weights, these made an enormous distinction to what I obtained for my cattle.
Concerning my replacements, Friesian retailer cattle within the marts didn’t weigh that nicely this autumn. This meant that for a similar weight I bought a much bigger if barely barer bullock for my cash.
Fortunately with the great climate, these cattle have accomplished nicely since being purchased. Presently they’re housed and are being fed second-cut baled silage left over from final 12 months.
Nevertheless, regardless of how nicely we do our enterprise and the way laborious we work, it will possibly all come to nought if elements outdoors our farm gate mix to work in opposition to us.
Brazil’s house analysis company (Inpe) discovered that deforestation within the Amazon had elevated by 22pc in a 12 months, reaching its highest stage since 2006.
A linked 1999 report prompt that rampant deforestation of the Amazon is pushed by a world greed for meat.
Such stories make it much more obscure why farmers in Eire, after being brainwashed for years into rising output, at the moment are being directed to scale back output on our internationally recognised, naturally wealthy pasture lands.
One other government-inspired proposal that beef cattle must be slaughtered earlier than reaching 24 months seems to be gaining assist in some circles.
With such damaging and ill-thought-out proposals being bandied about, the time has come for the voices of our many unbiased specialists to be heard.
These usually are not individuals who spend their time sitting behind desks in authorities buildings — quite they’re the individuals who most days find yourself in muddy fields and farmyards discussing real-life farming issues with their shoppers.
I reckon these individuals would rapidly determine the catastrophic implications of a 24-month rule for our slow-maturing continental herds, beloved of so many part-time farmers west of the Shannon.
I settle for that modifications should be made similar to introducing earlier-fattening breeds, however not on this short-sighted method, which might lead to a dramatic improve in costly animal feed imports.
For me, ending Friesian steers off-grass at 24 months can be difficult.
Not solely wouldn’t it be environmentally damaging however it will even be extraordinarily inhumane.
Cattle usually fattened on fields of grass can be compelled to spend most of their shortened lives indoors, gorging themselves on feed of doubtful origin and content material.
As long as our desk-top specialists suggest such measures and ignore points such because the essential benefit Friesian steers have in not being burdened with 100pc of their moms’ methane emissions, it’s tough to see any type of rational coverage evolving.
It additionally makes you marvel what occurred to our a lot lauded, world well-known, grass-fed beef?
If a 24-month age restrict is imposed, due to the elevated prices concerned, it’s inevitable that many un-finished cattle shall be offered for slaughter.
The harm which this substandard unfinished meat will do to our world popularity as producers of high-quality, grass-fed beef is incalculable.
Are you able to think about fruit sellers asking their prospects to eat inedible un-ripened-fruit? Anticipating individuals to purchase powerful inedible beef from unfinished 24-month-old cattle isn’t any totally different.
John Heney farms in Kilfeackle, Co Tipperary
