EU Proposal on calf transportation. NO MOVE UNDER 35DAYS

Beef processing here was originally started to counter the monopoly of the live export to England on prices, its swung the other way now where live export is the only way to provide competition to the processors. Having spoken to vets before apparently the the bigger stressor on calves is the loading and and unloading, during transport they tend to be very settled.

Agree with alps working on the 42 day tb movement restrictions allows more flexibility, 21 to 28 days wouldn't be a massive issue either. Most calves leave here between the 4 to 6 weeks anyway, rarely anything goes before the 4 unless the regular farmer buyer takes some to complete a group and he only lives 15 minutes away.

It might be prudent for some kind of initiative to build a few large veal rearing centres dotted around the dairy areas. The writing is on the wall re live calf exports and the industry needs some bit of positive news…dairy is fast losing social credibility without having to go killing fresh born calves.

Thing is, calves in transport as as happy as if they were at home in a deep straw bed, but there’s a tribe of tree huggers out there that are determined to shut it down…and it’d add fuel to fire is you explained to them that by stopping live exports that they’re condemning thousands of calves to an early death…!

They are some who say that the calf is a waste product of dairying.

That's a bit harsh but there is truth in it.

There was a veal unit looked at in Ireland years back, deemed not viable or near it.

I cannot understand how it could be more efficient to produce the Veal on the continent as apposed to here. We should be able to go all the way to the packet that goes onto the shelves of the supermarket for less than what they can do. I've seen calf shippers outbid locals for calves, and they are not giving the calves away for free to the Dutch or Germans, so what is it that makes us noncompetitive?

From memory I think the markets requires a steady supply of veal, Ireland wouldn't have a steady enough supply of calves to have an industry here having all the calves born in ten weeks

Wrangler above gives a massive reason why Veal is a non runner.

There is an article about it somewhere, it just seemed to have everything going against it here from memory

A constant monthly supply..

TBH most of this was predicted over the last few years. I cannot understand the total shock. It just more head in the sand attitude that it could never happen.

This will also put the cost of a calf back onto the original producer. A 5+ week old calf will be more attractive to part time drystock farmers...even if it's a JEX bull.

The added sting will be a limit on calf slaughter numbers as co-op and milk processor's may not take milk from farm that send calf's to slaughter.

If they pushed it to 8 weeks you could put them straight to grass. Must contact a few Green MEP's

I’m told years ago the Department of Agriculture in this area did what Teagasc are doing, then it was split into Teagasc & Dept of Ag

There is allot of feeling with margins getting tighter and more red tape if both entities are needed

Subsidies have made farmers lazy in regards to new enterprises, you can run your farm at a break even level now and get a job and your subsidies will be a nice top up on your salary.

Teagasc have international information available to them even if they haven't done research themselves and like suckling, calf rearing, sheep, etc they will set up research if it's being done in this country.

One thing Bord Bia does is ensures there's an inspector on a food producing farm that sells to processors at least every 12- 18 mths and our customers value this

You could say that about all public services, two chances of that happening, none and poor

True.

Dairy beef could end up being a contract rearing job with weaned calves

Leave that to you

If you look at the age profile of the average suckler farmer how many will move to calf rearing. More likely they'll cut numbers and carry on or move to keeping a few heifers or bullocks.

I can't see many who kept quality sucklers all their life moving to rearing dairy calves in their 50's and 60's. It's really what's been happening for the last 20 years anyway since the fischler reforms.

At a minimum calves will need to be weaned for many of them to consider it but many like the look of nice cattle and the dairy bred stock won't cut it.

Rearing dairy bull calves will be a numbers game - it always was. The more you rear the better discounts you can get on inputs. CMR is far too expensive in Ireland even with discounted prices when buying tons. Dawg quoted prices (France) a couple of years ago (from memory) €1,400 or €1,500/ton for a high quality skim based CMR whereas the equivalent here discounted was €2,000. Unless farmers are prepared to rear dairy calves to finish then they are loosing money.

If you can rear suckler bred stock and keep them alive alps,trust me, you can rear dairy bred. I have done both.

😉

I used to double suck a share of cows once upon a time, but the price of the dairy calf has gone insane, and the quality of the dairy calf has gone to sh1te. Just not worth the hassle.

As for bucket rearing them, as was stated the price of the milk replacer makes it uneconomical. Maybe if you had a small milking parlor you could have a few milkers to rear the calves but again unless you are doing it with numbers it's not worth it.

I remember as a teenager being able to buy 6 week old big square Hereford X calves, mighty bone on them too. Nowadays the dairymen are selling 10 day old narrow screws of Hereford X. Pure rubbish stuff that any farmer with half a brain wouldn't take for free never-mind give the 250 euro asking price.

It's a bit rich of the Irish dairy sector to think that the answer to the problem of getting rid of the calves in the future will be the Suckler farmers, jasus things are bad enough without bringing rubbish cattle around the place. It costs as much if not more to feed a bad yolk as a good one

When you go to marts or carry cattle to slaughter and you see bucket fed stores as heavy as Suckler bred ones. Then at the factory you see bucket fed LM, CH and BB killing out at the same weights as suckker bred cattle you have to question the economics of a suckler cow.

They promote our produce around the world, tax payer pays for it, some Irish farmers have done their best to undermine our promotions, how thick is that

Bord bia in fairness to them are world class at promoting food and I have heard that from food industry leaders on the continent.