Demo farm reports 32% lower emissions with more profitable cattle
Research produced by ABP, from the 5,500 cattle that have gone through its Demonstration Farm over the last decade, has shown producing younger, heavier animals leads to earlier finishing times, potentially significantly reducing carbon emissions by 32%.
The announcement came as ABP Food Group marked a decade of research on its Demonstration Farm in Co Carlow with a special event highlighting the progress made to date in reducing climate emissions and improving on-farm efficiency.
The 280-acre dairy-to-beef farm, which is owned by the Sheppard family, has partnered with ABP since 2015, with the aim of testing and validating practical on-farm solutions in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from beef production, while increasing on-farm efficiency.
The ABP Demonstration Farm's research is in collaboration with, and is independently verified by, Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).
The establishment of the ABP Demonstration Farm followed findings from ABP's work with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which revealed more than 90% of emissions across its supply chain occurred at farm level.
So far, more than 80,000 liveweights have been recorded from the trial farm alone.
Its key achievements include the findings the farm's carbon footprint is 32% lower than the average beef farm in Ireland, based on Bord Bia data, with steers finished 180 days earlier.
It also found high genetic merit beef sires, compared to lower merit sires, produce cattle that are on average 38kg heavier and worth €301 more at the same age. The gap between the best and worst sires reached 62kg in carcass weight and €511 in carcass value.
Hereford cattle ranked in the top third of the Commercial Beef Index delivered €220 more in returns than those in the bottom third.
About 150,000 doses of semen were distributed through the Gene Ireland Programme. Progeny from 279 AI beef bulls have also been tested, with calves sired by these bulls resulting in 885,000 calves born on Irish farms.
ABP agri sustainability manager Stephen Connolly said: 'The ABP Demonstration Farm is a long-term investment in the future of sustainable beef production in Ireland. Our objective is to develop systems and share solutions that support farmers and allow their businesses to grow.
The key focus of our projects is economic and environmental sustainability, and in this, our key areas are animal breeding and grassland management. Although this farm is focused on dairy beef, many of the practices developed here can be transferred to suckler beef systems, which remain an integral part of Ireland's beef sector.
The research findings from the ABP Demonstration Farm have directly contributed to the creation of the ABP Beef Benchmark Report, and support the ICBF Gene Ireland Beef Programme, which aims to identify the most suitable beef bulls for use on the dairy herd.
The success of the ABP Demonstration Farm has also led to the creation of the ABP Advantage Beef Programme, an enterprise partnership that assists farmers to build a sustainable beef business. The programme now includes more than 1,000 participating suppliers and is a key element in expanding the research findings of the ABP Demonstration Farm across the family farm supply chain.
In 2024, the 35,000 cattle produced as part of the ABP Advantage Beef Programme were on average 85 days younger at finish, with just a 4kg lighter carcass weight.
ABP is currently working with Teagasc, ICBF and Meat Technology Ireland on new projects focused on genetic selection for earlier finishing and animals that emit less methane per day, as well as projects focused on improving water and soil quality.
The firm is also participating in the Water EIP Programme with Teagasc and LAWPRO to enhance water quality without compromising productivity, and currently has three ABP team members training to support farmers through this scheme.
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