Latest news with #ABPFoodGroup
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
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.
Agriland
2 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
How many farmers are in the Advantage Beef Programme?
The Advantage Beef Programme has been one of the most significant developments in the Irish beef industry in recent times as regards beef processors' commitment to sustainability. The sustainability initiative is a true example of a beef processor 'putting their money where their mouth is' and sees ABP Food Group reward its farmer-suppliers who are Advantage Beef Programme members with an additional 20c/kg 'Sustainability Bonus' on all cattle that meet the criteria of the initiative. Launched in 2022, the Advantage Beef Programme now has over 1,000 farmer members, with 35,000 cattle processed through the sustainability initiative last year. On a percentage basis, 51% of the cattle slaughtered through the sustainability initiative are dairy-beef cattle, 30% are suckler-bred cattle, and 19% are dairy-sired cattle. The success of the initiative was highlighted at a special event on the ABP Demo Farm on yesterday (June 10), to mark the 10-year-anniversary of the ABP Demo Farm. Since its inception, over 2,000 farmers have attended ABP-run farmer information events. Suckler-beef farmer Jimmy Madigan speaking to ABP farm liaison team leader Amie Coonan on his involvement in the Advantage Beef Programme at the 10-year anniversary event of the ABP Demo Farm As part of the initiative, ABP has a dedicated team of Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison officers on-hand to offer farmers support and advice on all aspects relating to fattening and finishing cattle in an economical and environmentally sustainable manner. Initiatives run through the Advantage Beef Programme – such as linking dairy-beef calves with a high beef genetic merit with beef farmers seeking to rear calves – has seen over 6,000 calves linked with dairy and beef farmers. As well as the price bonus available to farmers, valuable services such as soil testing, silage testing, dung sampling, and valuable advice on genetics, diet formulation, soil health and grassland management is also available to member farmers free of charge. Farmers can keep up-to-date with the latest news and developments in the Advantage Beef Programme through the Agriland app.
Agriland
3 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
ABP Demo Farm reports 32% lower emissions while producing ‘heavier cattle'
New research released by ABP Food Group today (Tuesday, June 10 ) shows that producing 'younger, heavier animals' leads to earlier finishing times, which in turn can potentially significantly reduce emissions. ABP Food Group today hosted a special event on its Demonstration Farm in Co. Carlow to celebrate a decade of on-farm climate research. Over the last 10 years, 5,500 cattle have gone through the demonstration farm. The latest research published today shows the farm's carbon footprint is lower than the average beef farm in Ireland, based on Bord Bia data. The farm reported 32% lower emissions while producing 'more profitable cattle'. ABP Demonstration Farm The ABP Demo Farm was established in 2015, when ABP Food Group joined a partnership with two beef farmers based in Co. Carlow. The farm manager is Sean Maher. The farm size is 280ac and it is laid out in two separate blocks. The farm operates a dairy calf-to-beef system where approximately 400 calves are purchased every year and are reared to finishing. The enterprise also runs a store lamb operation finishing 600-700 store lambs/year. While the farm is operated independently, support in gathering data is provided by way of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Teagasc. Why was the farm established? In the post-quota era of Irish dairy expansion, an increase in the supply of beef cattle from the dairy herd was forecast. ABP Demonstration Farm In 2014, there were 1.25 million dairy cows in Ireland and 416,000 dairy-beef calves were born in Ireland that year. In 2024, there were 1.67 million dairy cows and 885,000 dairy-beef calves born in the country -showing the scale of the increase in dairy breeding in the overall Irish cattle herd. At the time the farm was being established, there was no index available for selecting or breeding dairy-beef bulls, and beef-breed sires were selected predominantly for calving ease and gestation on Irish dairy farms. ABP Demo Farm achievements The ABP Demo Farm has compiled data on progeny performance from different beef sires used on dairy cows to identify the most suitable beef bull genetics for crossing on dairy herds. The demo farm has also come a long way in understanding the impact of sire genetic merit on progeny with a focus on performance and environmental sustainability. Through its collaborations with the Gene Ireland Dairy Beef Programme, the ABP Demo Farm has also managed to: Support the progeny testing of new beef breeding bulls; Gather data on key livestock performance traits; Collect on-farm data such as live weight gain and methane emissions; Collect and disseminate carcass data; Collaborate with ICBF, Teagasc and leading AI companies to help improve the beef merit of calves bred from the dairy herd. The farm is also working to identify what works 'at farm level' in relation to proactive animal health as well as good soil health, grassland management, biodiversity, and water quality. In addition to this it is exploring ways to increase the level of high-protein feed that can be grown on farm to reduced the need for more-expensive soya-based imports. While more work has still to be done, the ABP Demo Farm has played no small part in delivering genetic gain in pedigree AI beef bulls as well as improving the quality of beef cattle from the dairy herd while combining calf ease, short gestation and improved carcase merit. All this work is being delivered with a central focus on improving the economical and environmental sustainability of these cattle. A key part of the ABP Demo Farm is knowledge transfer and the farm is committed to sharing its learnings with ABP suppliers to be implemented across its family-farm supplier base. Supported by the ABP Demo Farm, the Gene Ireland Dairy Beef Programme has distributed 279 test AI sires to date to 600 participating dairy farmers. Sires to come through the Gene Ireland Dairy Beef Programme have went on to sire over 885,000 calves to date. Over 1,400 of the progeny of these bulls have gone through the ICBF Progeny Test Centre at Tully, Co. Kildare. In the Gene Ireland programme, over 150,000 AI straws have been distributed. Economic and environmental value Research from the ABP Demo Farm has shown that there is a €301/animal difference in carcass value between dairy-beef cattle sired by the top 25% of high beef index bulls and the bottom 25% of beef index bulls, based on current beef prices and using sires available in AI within breed. For a calf-to-beef farmer finishing 50 cattle/year, this equates to €15,050/year. Looking solely at the Commercial Beef Value (CBV), data from the ABP Demo Farm shows that the top third of Angus sires on CBV would leave a farmer €240 more money for the farm than the bottom 33% of Angus sires for CBV. This figure is similar for Hereford sires at €220. Water quality The farm, which is in derogation, is conducting research to demonstrate that highly efficient and productive farming can work hand-in-hand with high water quality standards. ABP Food Group has three trained water quality advisors on-hand to assist farmer suppliers in best practice in this area. ABP's agri-sustainability manager, Stephen Connolly said: 'Irish beef has a carbon footprint which is half the global average and is among the most sustainable in the world. 'Working with the Science-Based Targets Initiative, ABP mapped out the emissions across its full supply chain and found that 90% of emissions occur at farm level. 'In response, ABP established the ABP Demo Farm to carry out research into more sustainable farming practices.' Connolly said the Demo Farm acts as a testbed and monitoring station for ways in which these emissions can be reduced. 'There has been significant progress made which has been shared with the wider farming community, with the hope that they will be adopted on a larger scale,' he said. 'When the ABP Demo farm is compared to the national average carbon footprint for beef farms, the figure comes in at 32% lower. 'Our dairy-beef steers have an average slaughter age 180 days younger than the national average. 'Our research is implemented in the sector with our farmer-suppliers through the Advantage Beef Programme and we are continuing to invest in this sustainability initiative,' Connolly added.
Agriland
17-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
New beef farmer networking events kick off in south-east
A new trial series of beef farmer networking events, which is a joint venture between Teagasc and ABP Food Group, have kicked off in the south-east of the island. While still in its early stages, the initiative sees a newly-formed discussion group of ABP Food Group farmer-livestock suppliers attend a series of farm walks focused on suckler/beef and store-to-beef systems. Separately, ABP is also facilitating knowledge-sharing events for its' dairy calf-to-beef farmer suppliers. The suckler-beef-focused events, which started on Thursday, May 8, are taking place in the ABP Slaney and ABP Ferrybank catchment areas. The first farm walk was hosted by Co. Wicklow farmer John Pringle. Based in Aughrim, Pringle is a suckler-beef farmer and is part of Teagasc's Future Beef Programme. (l-r) John Pringle, host farmer; Eleanor Cummins, ABP Slaney; Martina Harrington, Teagasc Future Beef Programme manager; Aideen Bates, Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison officer; and Peter Lawrence, Teagasc drystock advisor The Future Beef Programme is a venture ran by Teagasc that aims to demonstrate to beef farmers how they can produce suckler beef as efficiently as possible, making their system more profitable while also making it more environmentally and socially sustainable. The farm walk was attended by ABP suppliers who are involved in the processors' Advantage Beef Programme. Participants on the farm walk on John Pringle's farm in Aughrim, Co. Wicklow Topics such as genetics, different sward types, and young bull performance were covered and the farm walk encouraged conversation and comments between the farmers leaving plenty points of discussion. Martina Harrington, manager of the Teagasc Future Beef Programme said: 'Teagasc and the Future Beef Programme is proud to support this collaboration and the ongoing efforts to engage with suckler-beef farmers. 'The enthusiasm and engagement shown by the farmers at the event is a testament to the growing interest in these discussions and we are excited about the potential to continue building these groups in the future. 'By working together, we can share valuable knowledge and support the sustainability and profitability of our farmers. 'We look forward to seeing the positive outcomes of this collaboration and working with Teagasc to aid in creating profitable suckler beef systems across our supplier base,' Harrington said. ABP Slaney's Eleanor Cummins said: 'The collaboration between ABP and Teagasc looks to be a success from our first suckler farm walk on John Pringle's farm'. Cummins noted that, on the farm walk, 'farmers engaged with each other in conversation over farming practices'. 'With the addition of Teagasc, the farmers of the Slaney region and ourselves, ABP, it creates a unique synergy, combining practical industry insights with academic expertise to promote sustainable, innovative, and profitable farming. 'Suckler-beef is important to the beef industry and to ABP and we are committed to supporting suckler-beef production systems. 'It is important for us, as beef processors, to support and guide our suppliers to reach their potential and farm as efficiently as possible.'
Agriland
22-04-2025
- General
- Agriland
ABP Monitor Farms: Why this farmer is adding rolled oats to calf ration
The recent spell of dry weather is being welcomed on John Twohigs dairy and beef farm in Bandon, Co. Cork. The farm is one of the eight ABP Monitor Farms. These monitor farms are finishing cattle in a variety of systems and are based across the country on a range of different land types. Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison officer Aideen Bates said the majority of the spring-2023-born dairy-beef cattle on the farm have now been slaughtered, and John is delighted with both the performance of the cattle and the prices received in recent weeks. The farm is involved in ABP Food Group's Advantage Beef Programme and receives a 20c/kg Sustainability Bonus on all eligible cattle slaughtered trough the scheme. The oldest calves born on the farm will be weaned in the coming weeks, with calf performance good and no major health or performance issues so far. All calves received their pneumonia Intranasal vaccine at 10-days-old and their booster three weeks later. This year, John is trialling something different when feeding his calves concentrates – he is adding rolled oats to the calf ration in an effort to reduce incidences of summer scour. Rolled oats are being added to the calf ration this year as a trial to reduce summer scour incidents Summer scour in calves is the biggest problem John faces with his calves year-on-year. As a trial this year, the concentrate ration fed to the calves is now 25% oats rather than 18% oats, and John will monitor its impact on calf performance this summer. Yearling cattle on the ABP Monitor Farm Yearling bullocks have been at grass for over a month now and they had an average body weight of 320kg at turnout. Yearling heifers are also turned out and had an average weight of 270kg going to grass. Yearling cattle at grass The milk cows have been out at grass day and night for the past six weeks. Cows are milking well and the dry ground conditions are allowing for excellent graze-outs. The good spring weather this year has been a great benefit on the farm, as opposed to last spring when conditions were much more challenging. The first grazing rotation will be finished this week. Regrowths were slow at the start, but have come on in the last few days. The good weather has allowed for excellent graze outs this year Paddocks that have been reseeded in the last two years are regrowing very well in comparison to older pasture. John intends to reseed 10ac of ground this year but he is mindful not to take too much ground out of the grazing platform. Ground has been sprayed off and is ready to be disced in the coming days. John will be sowing a white clover and ryegrass mix for grazing. Breeding will commence on John's farm on May 1 and all cows will be served using artificial insemination (AI) to high carcass weight Angus bulls. When selecting bulls, John balances easy-calving with high beef genetic merit and appears to be managing this effectively with no assisted calvings required this year. No Friesian calves are bred on John's farm – instead, suitable Friesian heifer calves are bought-in and reared as replacements for the herd.
