BEEF2026 Open Day

From the perspective of farm numbers and land area farmed, beef cattle farming is the most important agricultural enterprise in Ireland. Moreover, the sector contributed €4.2 billion, some 30%, to total agricultural output in 2025, an increase of €1.1 billion when compared to 2024. The beef sector is export orientated with over 90% of production […]

Suckler beef production in Ireland encompasses a wide range of production systems operating at varying stocking rates, although most farms are stocked at less than 130 kg organic nitrogen (N)/hectare (ha). This paper examines the key performance targets and indicators that determine efficiency, financial and environmental (greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions) performance of suckler beef systems, […]

Dairy-beef is an integral part of Irish beef production, with its contribution to beef output increasing in recent years in line with the 40% increase in dairy cow numbers since 2015, and dairy-beef now accounts for 62% of beef cattle processed in 2025. The current stabilisation of the dairy herd has led to a reduction […]

Irish suckler beef production is largely pasture-based where collectively, grazed and conserved pasture account for up to 92% of the lifetime feed consumption. As grazed pasture is invariably the cheapest cattle feed resource in Ireland, maximising the duration of the grazing season and animal growth performance at pasture is critical for sustainable production. This in […]

In 2025, 1.79 million calves were born in Ireland, and approximately 1.16 million animals were finished as prime (steers, heifers and young bulls) cattle. Nationally, suckler-bred animals now account for 38% of the prime beef cattle produced, reflective of a decline in suckler cow numbers (currently ~0.75 million), and an increase followed by a stabilisation […]

Correcting soil pH is an old but vital farm practice that delivers both productivity and environmental benefits. Maintaining optimum soil pH of 6.3 to 6.5 on mineral soils increases the biological soil activity and availability of major nutrients such as nitrogen (N) thus reducing the need for imported chemical fertiliser. Soil test results show that […]

Agriculture has a requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, relative to 2018. To date agriculture has reduced emission by 4.6% since 2018. Meeting emission reductions will be challenging over the next 5 years. The Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) developed by Teagasc sets out a menu of actions that farmers can […]

There has been a significant renewed interest in the role of legumes – both white and red clover – on Irish grassland farms in recent years, with seed sales having increased to 353 t and 131 t for white and red clover, respectively, equating to a 40% increase in 2025 from 2020. The main benefits […]

Grazing infrastructure is the farm layout and physical structures (roadways, fencing and water system). Optimal grazing infrastructure facilitates good pasture management practices to maximise days at grass and increases pasture utilisation in a rotational grazing system. Target pasture management practices: Enter paddocks at a pre-grazing herbage yield of 1,250-1,500 kg dry matter (DM)/hectare (ha) (9-10 […]

Irish cattle systems rely heavily on our competitive advantage – producing high yields of high nutritive value grazed grass. However, although emphasis must be placed on maximising the proportion of grazed grass in the diet, there is a significant part of the year on most Irish farms where grass silage will constitute part or all […]

Regular reseeding of pastures enables farmers to produce higher yields of better-quality grass, improving feed self-sufficiency and enhancing overall farm sustainability. It is recommended that 10% of the farm be reseeded annually. Current reseeding rates are estimated to be only 2% of the total grassland area. Although reseeding costs are substantial, currently estimated at €1,100/hectare […]

In Ireland, water policy and management is led by the Water Framework Directive. Under this directive, Ireland has been set a target of achieving at least ‘good status’ for all Irish waters by 2027. However, despite a lot of good work over the last 20-30 years we are falling short in achieving this target; in […]

Demonstration farmers are signed up to the Signpost Advisory Programme and AgNav. AgNav is a digital sustainability platform that helps Irish farmers measure, understand, and reduce their farms environmental impact by tracking emissions and guiding sustainability improvements. These farmers use AgNav to review their progress in adopting emissions-reducing technologies and to track their farm emissions […]

What is soil carbon and carbon sequestration? Soil carbon refers to the carbon stored within soils, mainly as soil organic matter (SOM), which is derived from decomposed plant material and microbial biomass. It is a vital component of healthy soils, helping to maintain fertility, support biodiversity, and sustain ecosystem functions. As the largest terrestrial carbon […]

Improving the efficiency of the national suckler herd is a key priority for the Irish beef industry. Research and on-farm evidence consistently show that cows with strong maternal traits and of moderate size deliver superior lifetime performance. Balanced genetic selection is essential to produce a suckler cow capable of meeting both profitability and sustainability targets. […]

Reproductive efficiency is a major factor determining production and ultimately the profitability of beef cow enterprises.  Annual statistics from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) suggest that less than 20% of heifers calve for the first time at the target average age of 24 (22-26) months and that the average calving-to-calving interval for Irish suckler […]

The current national average age at first-calving in suckler-bred heifers is 32 months with only 19% of heifers calving for the first time at 22-26 (~24) months of age. There is huge potential for improvement to this important reproductive key performance indicator. The top 10% of commercial suckler herds and research herds are consistently calving […]

In Irish grass‑based, spring‑calving suckler systems, calves are typically weaned in autumn. This often coincides with a change in weather, reduced grass availability, additional handling, housing, vaccination and sometimes transport or sale. The resulting stress response in the calf, especially when several of these stressors occur concurrently, can temporarily suppress immune function, increasing susceptibility to […]

Disease is a major cause of financial and animal production losses on beef farms, and even though it’s difficult to put a value on it, the labour and stress involved in a disease outbreak should also be taken into consideration when evaluating individual farm disease risks. The likelihood and consequences of a disease need to […]

Bluetongue is a viral disease caused by bluetongue virus (BTV). This virus is a double stranded RNA virus of the genus Oribvirus due to the ‘ring’ (‘orib’) appearance of its outer capsid. There are at least 29 different serotypes or strains of the virus, and each strain differs in the severity of disease that is […]

The Newford Demonstration Farm was established in 2015 as a joint initiative between Teagasc and Dawn Meats, with support from the Irish Farmers Journal and McDonald’s. Its primary objective is to operate as a stand-alone suckler herd under commercial conditions, demonstrating best-practice technologies to the wider beef industry. A key focus is placed on maximizing […]

The Future Beef Programme is Teagasc’s flagship suckler beef demonstration farm network, comprising 22 farms representing typical Irish beef systems across geographical regions, diverse soil types, and contrasting stocking rates.  The programme demonstrates practical, adoptable technologies under three core objectives: Profitability Environmental sustainability Work-life balance A central principle of the programme is that profitability and […]

What is the Commercial Beef Value? Every spring, beef farmers across Ireland purchase dairy-beef calves and face a simple question: which calves will perform best in my system? Knowing which calf is likely to exhibit good performance traits over its lifetime can be difficult when purchasing at three to four weeks of age, but the […]

Calf health and nutrition strongly influence an animal’s lifetime growth potential. The calf-rearing phase provides an important opportunity for efficient live weight gain due to calves’ high feed conversion efficiency in early life, which has been shown to be 2–3 times greater than that of comparable finishing cattle. Efficient calf-rearing protocols aim to maximise health, […]

Summer scour syndrome (SSS) is a relatively novel digestive disorder affecting recently-weaned dairy-bred calves during their first grazing season in Ireland and in other countries with pasture-based systems, such as the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. This syndrome typically occurs within two to six weeks following turnout to pasture and often affects groups of calves. […]

Beef production from the dairy herd has increased in recent years due to increasing dairy cow numbers and now contributes approximately 60% of beef output in Ireland. Typically, dairy-bred calves are sourced at approximately three weeks of age and are vulnerable to several infectious diseases, particularly during the calf-rearing phase. The most common diseases of […]

Ballyvadin Beef Farm Ltd. was established in 2022 to function as an independent, standalone commercial entity providing Irish beef farmers with a realistic financial, operational and genetic baseline for integrated dairy-beef production. The enterprise acts as a blueprint for high-efficiency spring-born steer and heifer calf-to-beef finishing systems. Farm footprint and expansion Total land area: 134 […]

The Irish beef sector has undergone significant structural and economic changes in recent years, particularly dairy-beef systems. The Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Programme, established to promote sustainable and profitable dairy calf-to-beef systems, provides a valuable dataset through its annual Profit Monitor analysis. This programme aims to demonstrate best practice in technical and financial performance, targeting a […]

In beef production systems, feed provision is the single largest direct cost incurred, accounting for approximately 75% of total costs of production; therefore, focusing on feed (cost) efficiency enhances farm profitability. Of the predominant feedstuffs available, grazed grass is lowest cost, purchased concentrate is the most expensive and grass silage and other conserved forages are […]

In 2025, the national average finishing age of prime beef cattle was 26.5 months. To improve environmental sustainability of Irish beef production systems a goal, embodied in the national Climate Action Plan, is to reduce mean age at finish by ~three months by 2030 relative to 2018. This can be achieved by improving animal nutrition, […]

The microbial ecosystem residing in the rumen or forestomach of ruminant animals facilitates the conversion of human-inedible plant material into high-quality meat protein. However, this fermentation process results in methane production as a metabolic by-product. Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide and accounts for approximately 74% of Irish agricultural […]

A series of experiments were conducted at Teagasc, Grange to examine the effects of space allowance and floor type on cattle performance and welfare. The research primarily involved finishing steers, with additional studies using heifers, bulls, and weanlings. Across experiments, treatments included concrete slatted floors (CS), different rubber mat types overlaid on concrete slats (RM), […]

Beef farming in Ireland is characterised by many different production systems and repeated animal movements are an inherent feature. The structure of the sector typically involves cattle moving through several holdings before slaughter, often transferring from dairy or suckler herds to specialist rearers and subsequently to finishing farms. While this system supports efficient use of […]

The meat industry is increasingly seeking automation to address challenges such as labour shortages, worker welfare in abattoir environments, stringent hygiene requirements for non-contact processing and the need to minimise waste. Over the past few years, automation in poultry and pork processing has advanced considerably; however, the beef sector continues to lag due to several […]

Beef production is one of the most economically and culturally significant food industries in Europe, contributing to food security, sustainable land use and diverse national cuisines. Yet EU beef consumption has declined by approximately 13% over two decades – from 11.1 kg per capita in 2004 to 9.6 kg in 2024 – and is projected […]

Irish beef is well-known around the world and is synonymous with being high quality, flavoursome and nutritious, thanks to our pasture-based farming systems. Considering this high-value raw material, industry is increasingly seeking opportunities to further enhance the eating quality and consumer acceptance of Irish beef. Extensive research has been carried out on this area at […]

Producer price developments The year 2025 will be remembered fondly by most beef farmers, as Irish cattle prices reached new record levels, rising by an average of 39% year-on-year. Unfortunately, however, producers have experienced considerable downward pressure on the value of their animals over recent months, and many are questioning whether there are any signs […]

Farm incomes are generally low on cattle farms in Ireland with farm subsidies accounting for the majority of farm income. Cattle farmers have contended with several economic challenges in recent years, with some welcome respite in margins in 2025. In this paper, Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) data is used to describe recent trends in […]

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biological process conducted in a sealed vessel in the absence of oxygen. This process involves the fermentation of organic matter resulting in the production of biogas and digestate. There are four steps in the AD process: i) break-down of the organic material into soluble compounds (sugars, fats, proteins); ii) fermentation […]

Organic farming has become increasingly important within Irish and European agricultural policy as governments seek to address challenges relating to climate change, biodiversity loss, input price volatility and the long-term sustainability of food production systems. Under the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, a target has been established for 25% of European agricultural land to be […]

Introduction The Climate Action Plan (2024) has set ambitious targets to increase land farmed according to organic standards from the current area of 225,000 ha (5% of total farmed area) to 450,000 ha (10%) by 2030. The largest organic sector in Ireland is beef cattle production. There are an estimated 40,000 organically-farmed suckler cows in […]

Generational renewal in farming is generally understood to mean younger farmers taking over from the older generation in running and owning farms (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine – DAFM, 2025).2 It should be seen as a process rather than a single event and it has been described in the literature as a “ladder […]

Teagasc is the primary provider of accredited further (vocational) education for the agricultural and land-based sectors. Teagasc has a major input into higher education and postgraduate education delivery through its extensive partnerships. Teagasc introduced four new apprenticeship programmes for the land-based sector in 2023 and welcomes applications for apprenticeships due to start in September 2026. […]

As land-based industries navigate current and future sustainability challenges and regulations, it is essential that operators and managers are highly skilled. The Irish land-based sector is reliant on skilled farmers and operatives who can cope with such challenges as well as managing day-to-day productions task, work with people and meet business objectives. The next generation […]

High standards of safety, health and welfare can greatly support the creation of a safe working environment. Farmer health and farm safety are closely linked. Physical health, stress and mental health, fatigue, burnout and sleep problems can impact farmer wellbeing and increase the risk of a farm accident. Protecting your health and wellbeing, knowing your […]