Beef
In Ireland, beef production is a grass-based system. It is considerably cheaper to produce a beef animal in a grass-based system than in a grain-based system. There are a few options to choose from when entering the beef enterprise, a mix of two is also a popular choice.
Beef Systems
The Suckler beef is an example of a breeding beef system where cows are kept to produce calves that will eventually be used for beef.
A farmer typically chooses spring or autumn calving (spring calving is more profitable due to lower seasonal costs for feed and electricity). Suckler to weanling is where the suckler is sold once the calf is weaned (7-9 months).
Spring born calves can be weaned earlier than autumn calves. Suckler to finish describes where sucklers are sold once the animal has reached a finishing weight. In a two year calf-to-beef system the finished weight is 600-750kg.
Traceability
Beef, and therefore calves, must be traceable by law. All calves that are born are tagged with a unique tag number. This tag must be registered with the Department of Agriculture. The traceability is thanks for the Bovine Animal Identification system enshrined in legislation.
It is composed of four elements: tagging, a bovine passport, on-farm bovine herd registers and a computerised database. Farmers must tag their animals within 20 days of their birth with two double-sided tags on each ear.
Nutrition
Beef is rich source of protein. It supplies 10 essential nutrients to the body including B-vitamins, zinc, and iron that support an active and healthy lifestyle.
All age groups need protein to grow and maintain healthy muscle development. And did you know that an average portion of lean red beef contains half the dietary requirements of iron you need in a day. This is good news for anyone lacking in iron, an essential mineral particularly for women and children.