Press release
Minister McConalogue launches Dairy Calf to Beef Action Plan at 10th Food Vision implementation meeting
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, this week chaired the tenth meeting of the Food Vision 2030 High Level Implementation Committee (HLIC). One of the main items on the agenda was the finalisation of an Action Plan to support dairy calf to beef systems in Ireland.
Greater integration of the dairy and beef sectors was a key action agreed by stakeholders in the development of the Food Vision 2030 strategy. This Action Plan, which is based on 10 core themes including knowledge transfer, breeding and improved animal health, was developed collaboratively through a consultation process with stakeholders.
Minister McConalogue said:
“Through the consultation and discussions to develop this 10-point plan, actions that can be undertaken at farm and processing level, to ensure optimal calf health and welfare and to facilitate greater uptake of dairy calf to beef systems, were identified. All partners in this plan, Teagasc, Bord Bia, ICBF, AHI and my own department are committed to seeing the potential offered by Dairy Calf to Beef systems realised. I want to acknowledge all those that engaged with the consultation process. The observations garnered were important to the finalisation of the plan that moves now to an implementation phase.”
Pat Dillon, Head of Research, Teagasc commented:
“The beef sector remains one of the most important industries in the national economy. One of its key strengths is its grass-fed steer/heifer beef output with its strong sustainability credentials. Research carried out at Teagasc Grange has established profitable dairy beef systems using key technologies in relation to beef genetics, grassland management and calf rearing.”
Jim O’Toole, CEO, Bord Bia commented:
“Producing calves with superior beef merit represents a significant opportunity for both the Irish beef and dairy sectors. By embracing these important developments, we can promote the production of animals which meet key market requirements, while providing a profitable enterprise for farmers. It is imperative for both sectors to work together and utilise the expertise that we have available to further enhance our market position.”
David Graham, CEO of Animal Health Ireland commented:
“We look forward to continuing to build on the successful model of our annual CalfCare events to further enhance the health and welfare credentials of the sector, with a particular focus on promoting integration of dairy and beef systems while delivering economic, social and environmental sustainability.”
Sean Coughlan, CEO, ICBF:
“Genetic improvement and the use of indexes such as the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) and Commercial Beef Value (CBV) are low cost, high impact tools that can help drive the profitability of the Dairy Calf to Beef sector. We look forward to working with farmers on increasing the uptake in the use of these tools for breeding and purchasing decisions.”
The Food Vision HLIC also received updates from the new Agri-Food Regulator whose chair Joe Healy attended to provide a update on their work to date, as a well as an update on the draft Biomethane Strategy.
The Dairy Calf Action Plan can be found at the links below: