Spring 2020..... 1.5m Dairy calves.... discuss.

@Anto_Meath I don't agree with you and it's a unwarranted statement. The vast majority of dairy farmers that we've dealt with over the past 40 years do care about their bull calves.

The problem is the market is unwilling to accept that solution. I think I saw an article where 40% of farmers rearing calves have left or are only left that reared calves five years ago. It's an astonishing figure one way or the other. Add to that we have probably 150 k extra calves on the ground every year.

People may consider calf slaughtering is the answer however it would have huge implications for the industry.

Add to that the fact that calf exports of 200k are probably going to be gone within3-4 years.tgat will leave a lot of calves to be reared by new rearers

Have to agree with Anto, that the new dairy cub is totally different than the old dairy farmet in attitude, calves is seen as a by product and ask any contractor what are the young cubs like to deal with. Seen it locally where the new fella or cub is all about milk solids and has being drummed into them by advisers and trips to New Zealand"

We have all this talk of slaughtering young calves and how bad it is . No one is talking about how they are actually going into the food chain in countries that need cheap sources of protein. There's no talk about how when the weather disrupts the calves going for export a high proportion of these calves end up been bought up for this facility it's all a very one sided argument.

I think it's around 100 herds sending in over half of the calves

I think marts could do more. Marts selling young calves should have bedded pens

No, it a'int bad. It's the solution to the emissions problem for Irish agriculture. I can see no other feasible option. If it's not adopted there is no way the 2030 targets (even the 18%) have any prospect of being met. Otherwise we'll be assailed by the ratcheting up of sneaky and not-so-sneaky regs.

It's not in their interests, if they go with a Arla tyre approach, they'll put the big lads, who are bobbying a few hundred bulls a year each under massive financial pressure......

When you see the draconian rules re chlorates in milk if your a glanbia supplier, and then see their policy allowing calf slaughter in department approved facilities you see how they're just suiting themselves

There is a big dairy farmer beside me, he is your stereotypical dairy farmer, he is in every discussion group going, different contractors ever year doing his work as they are €10 / an hr or an acre less than anyone else, he is as tight as a duck arse under water. He feeds milk replacer to the calves at the minute as it is x cent a liter cheaper than whole milk. He has a poor Polish lad living in a mobile home in the middle of the sheds & the poor devil has to clock in and out when he is working. His calves used to be regularly unsold in the mart, the mart manager would be on the phone to him all evening to get them collected. Then he started getting the calves dropped back to the farmers farm and charging him carriage. So the farmer stopped showing his caves in the mart. He now gives all the bull calves at 10 days old to another genius down the road to rear and sell. This genius feeds them until they are about 3 months and then sells them at around €100 -€150 with tanglers buying them from him in April / May for lads who need a few livestock units to activate entitlements, you will see the same badly bred poorly done cattle back in the mart around November time as these lads unload them after letting them ramble on a large area for 7 months, with at least 4 owners at this stage they are still making €100 -€150 if a full merry go around. I was talking to this farmer the other day in co op, he was tell me he synchronize a batch of heifers back in March, he has 87 due to calf on Christmas day. I said to him you wouldn't see much of the turkey, he said it wouldn't buy a turkey as they are too dear and to much waste on them...

In fairness to all concerned it would be better if these bull calves were euthanized at a few days and then appearing in a mart every few months.

A small bit a ground does everyone after.

They should not be produced in the first instance . There are plenty of examples of the abuse that worthless animals have been subjected to , over the years . eg dogs and horses.

Do we want the same thing to happen with newborn calves .It is time for the coops and advisers to call out what is going on .

It will be too late when the media compile an expose on it .

I was going to reply about the stereotypical half wit calf buyers and rearers all around me that spend their days in the bookies... I know what he means about the dairy hero's though... Kind of....

It wouldn't matter. Farmers that want rid of calves would consider if they paid a 10 euro entry fee that they are entitled to leave them there if not sold