Zeroing in on the right finishing age to meet 2030 climate targets
Over The Last By Months Average Decade Age Has Half, Finishing About And A Two Dropped The
Attention is now focused on the 30% of prime Irish beef cattle which is considered over-fat at finish.
Once cattle reach the desired fat score of three plus (3+), their carcass weight potential has been maximised, and taking these animals to higher levels of fat cover reduces their efficiency significantly, in terms of average daily gain, explained Teagasc researcher Dr Paul Smith, in a recent edition of the Teagasc Beef Edge podcast.
The right finish was a major topic at the Beef 2024 Open Day at Grange because it ties in with reducing the finishing age, which is one of the main ways beef farmers can contribute to the 25% emissions reduction required in agriculture.
“The big focus of the finishing demo was demonstrating what different animals look like across the different fat classes, as well as having industry representatives there from some of the different beef processors, giving the farmers different tips on ways they can select and draft their animals which are appropriately fleshed for slaughter”, Paul said.
“At the moment we have a target set to reduce the finishing age of the overall prime beef cattle population to 22-23 months of age by 2030,” Paul said. “In 2018, when this target was set, the average finishing age of the population of cattle was at 26 months, and we’re looking to reduce that by three to four months by 2030”, he said.
“That doesn’t mean that every single animal needs to be finished at 22-23 months of age. That’s the average for the overall population, which would include different dynamics in terms of genders of animals as well as separate targets for individual categories and genders and breeds of animals”, he explained.
“Over the last decade and a half, since 2010, finishing age has dropped by about two months. We saw progress particularly in our steers. The average steer finishing age has dropped by about a week per annum, which is significant progress,” Paul said.
Less progress has been made in reducing the finishing age of heifers. But overall, farmers have reduced the finishing age of steers, heifers and young bulls by about two months, without major negative impacts on the average carcase weight, said Paul.
In collaboration with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and University College Dublin, the four-year Teagasc-led Beef-Quest project will identify, quantify and rank the primary on-farm technical and behavioural-related issues which are negatively impacting the liveweight gain of different categories of animals and hence delaying their finishing age.
Nutrition, genetics and health will be key areas of focus, as well as the on-farm environment.
“Which of those factors is having a major impact on the growth rates of animals? Why are some animals being finished at 24 months, but why are other animals born at a similar time, subsequently going on to be finished at 28 months of age?” Paul asked.
“We’re looking to recruit about 200 commercial farms to the project, whereby we’ll be visiting the farms, collecting weight data as well as data associated with feed analysis, animal health records and as well, the on-farm environment.”
Paul welcomes direct contact from any farmers interested in participating in the Beef-Quest project. Paul said: “From the farmers’ point of view, what we’ll be offering to them will be a free weighing service across a variety of times throughout the lifetime of growing animals, as well as a free silage analysis.
"As well, there will also be reports given back to the farmer, showing their progress compared to the rest of the farmers within the programme and some of our national data. The most accurate way we can judge the performance of beef cattle is by regularly weighing these animals."
Paul also outlined some of the results to date from research at Teagasc Grange on methane-reducing feed additives. “Some of the additives have been shown, in some of our indoor studies, to reduce methane by up to 30%.
"Two of the most effective ones that we’ve tested to date are the 3-NOP Bovaer, as well as a compound called RumenGlas, both of them coming in around 30% in terms of their reduction potential for methane emissions.
Some other favourable results are coming through on the oils, linseed oil being shown to reduce methane by about 18-20%, and rapeseed oil, and a byproduct of rapeseed oil production, the rapeseed cake. Both of them have been shown to reduce methane emissions by about 7-8% in some of our indoor studies,” Paul explained.
“If we look at some of the synthetic additives, your 3-NOP and your RumenGlas compound, for any of them to be used within the beef sector, they’re going to have to receive regulatory approval.
“Firstly, they’re going to need to be approved, to make sure they have no negative effects on the animal, or on the meat subsequently, from a human health point of view.
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"And the other thing, while oils could in theory be put into feed additives in the morning, one of the big issues we have with the oils is the potential cost associated with some of the oils. That could potentially inhibit their use,” Paul said.
“While the additives are looking quite favourable at the moment in terms of some of the indoor studies, one of the big challenges is trying to get either the additives or the active compounds in those additives, to animals while they’re out at grass.
“It’s going to have to be a key priority for both industry and for research, trying to develop ways to either format or package these key compounds into such a form that can be available and utilised on a grass basis.”
Mitigating methane emissions is recognised as the quickest way to slow down the impact of climate change, with Ireland committing to reduce agricultural GHG emissions by 25% by 2030. In Ireland, about 93% of methane emissions are from the digestion of feed in cattle and sheep, and gaseous emissions from stored slurry.
Ireland’s Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill (2021) included a target of 10% reduction in ruminant-derived methane by 2030.
