Organic beef farming systems research: first insights from the Teagasc National Farm Survey

Kevin Kilcline Mary Ryan Paul Crosson Mark McGee Marie McFadden David Wall David Flynn Joe Kelleher Elaine Leavy Tara Gilna

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 farmed organically by 2030. In Ireland, organic farming has expanded rapidly in recent years, supported by CAP and national climate policy. Between 2020 and 2025, the proportion of Ireland’s utilisable agricultural area (UAA) under organic production increased from 1.6% to 5.5%, representing one of the fastest rates of growth in the EU. Ireland now aims to increase this figure to 10% by 2030 under the Climate Action Plan. Much of this expansion has been driven by growth in organic livestock systems, particularly suckler farming. As of March 2026, Ireland’s organic bovine herd stood at 131,464 animals, including more than 40,000 organic suckler cows. This highlights the central role of beef production in the development of the Irish organic sector.

While the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) and wider CAP supports have been instrumental in encouraging participation, relatively little farm-level evidence has been available on the financial performance of Irish organic farms.

GROFarmS and organic beef research

The Teagasc/UCD Growing Resilient Organic Farming Systems (GROFarmS) project is a national research initiative funded by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine. The project seeks to address a knowledge gap in Irish organic drystock farming through research on efficient organic beef and sheep systems alongside the development of a comprehensive technical, financial, environmental and sustainability profile of commercial organic farms to guide best-practice conversion and adoption.

The GROFarmS project integrates:

• Organic beef finishing trials at Teagasc, Grange and organic suckler weanling-to-beef systems on the Kildavin farm at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Wexford (Further information: Organic beef cattle research update).
• Organic sheep systems research at Teagasc Athenry.
• Socioeconomic, technical and environmental sustainability profiling of commercial farms through the National Farm Survey (NFS).
• Knowledge transfer and stakeholder engagement.

This paper summarises the first findings from the financial analysis of organic cattle rearing (suckler) and cattle other (beef finishing) farms using 2024 NFS data.

Organic suckler farms

Table 1 presents farm financial results for organic and conventional NFS suckler farms in 2024. Organic cattle rearing farms are larger and less intensive when compared to conventional systems. Average farmed area was 43 hectares (ha) on organic farms compared with 31 ha on conventional farms. Organic farms also operated at substantially lower stocking rates (1.15 livestock units (LU)/ha vs. 1.76 LU/ha). Organic suckler farms generated slightly higher gross output per farm when direct payments were included (€51,308 vs. €47,862). However, when direct payments were excluded, market output is higher on conventional farms, reflecting greater production intensity. A key feature of organic systems was the substantially lower direct costs. Organic farms recorded:

• Lower concentrate feed expenditure.
• Lower fertiliser costs.
• Lower veterinary expenditure.
• No crop protection expenditure.

These lower direct costs contributed to higher gross margins on organic farms. Family Farm Income averaged €19,653 on organic farms compared with €13,442 on conventional farms in 2024. Direct payments represented a much larger proportion of total output on organic farms (56% vs. 35%), highlighting the importance of CAP Pillar II supports and in particular the Organic Farming Scheme.

Overall, findings indicate that organic suckler farms operate more extensive, lower-input systems. Lower expenditure on feed, fertiliser and veterinary inputs contributed to improved gross margins in 2024, while participation in the Organic Farming Scheme and other environmental schemes supports overall farm income.

Table 1. Financial performance, expressed per farm, per hectare (ha) and per livestock unit (LU) of organic and conventional national farm survey suckler farms in 2024

Organic beef finishing farms

Organic beef finishing farms in our sample were significantly larger than conventional systems and carried more livestock overall, though at lower stocking intensity. Organic farms generated substantially higher gross output per farm and recorded stronger overall family farm income performance. Family Farm Income on organic beef finishing farms exceeded €36,825 (€690/ha) compared with approximately €17,650 (€549/ha) on conventional farms.

Organic systems achieved:

• Lower direct costs per hectare
• Lower direct costs per livestock unit
• Higher gross margins

Unlike suckler systems, organic beef finishing farms also generated relatively strong market output per farm, suggesting relatively strong market performance within the organic beef finishing sector. Direct payments remained important, accounting for approximately 43% of gross output on organic farms compared with 24% on conventional systems. The results suggest that organic beef finishing systems can combine relatively strong farm-level income performance with lower dependence on external inputs.

Wider implications

The integration of organic farms into the NFS represents an important development for Irish agricultural research and policy analysis. The dataset provides:

• The first nationally structured farm-level evidence base for organic farming.
• A platform for benchmarking organic systems.
• Opportunities for future emissions and sustainability analysis.
• Evidence to support policy development and advisory services.

The findings also highlight the importance of continuing to examine both the economic and environmental performance of organic farming systems. Organic systems generally operate at lower stocking intensity and lower levels of purchased inputs. While expenditure on supplementary concentrate feed is often lower than on conventional farms, organic concentrates are substantially more expensive, creating a significant cost challenge particularly for finishing systems. In this regard, research at Grange and Kildavin, Johnstown Castle is currently examining alternative cattle finishing strategies (Further information: Organic beef cattle research update).

Organic systems are less exposed to fluctuations in fertiliser prices and can deliver environmental benefits associated with lower-input production systems. However, direct payments remain an important component of financial performance on many organic farms.

Future analysis within GROFarmS will continue to develop the evidence base around the technical, economic and environmental sustainability of Irish organic farming. As additional years of NFS data become available, more robust comparisons between organic and conventional farms can be undertaken. In addition, longer-term data will make it possible to assess how changing input costs, output prices and policy supports influence the relative performance, resilience and sustainability of organic and conventional farming systems.

Summary of organic beef systems performance data

Organic beef systems differ substantially from conventional systems in terms of structure, intensity and cost profile.

Organic suckler and beef finishing farms generally:

• Operate at lower stocking intensity
• Use fewer external inputs
• Record lower fertiliser and feed costs
• Depend more heavily on direct payments

Despite lower intensity, both organic suckler and beef finishing systems recorded higher family farm income performance in 2024.

The NFS organic sample provides an important evidence base for understanding the performance of Irish organic farming. As the dataset develops over time, it will support a more comprehensive assessment of the economic, environmental and social sustainability of organic systems and their contribution to resilient and competitive Irish beef production.

Is organic farming an option for me?

Clearly, the incentives provided by the organic farming scheme are proving attractive to many farmers and a significant number of farmers are considering conversion. The following are some key factors to consider for farmers who are considering converting to organic farming:

• Is the current stocking rate below two livestock units per ha?
• Can animal housing be modified to incorporate a bedded lying area?
• Is the use of artificial fertilisers low (or even zero)?

With this in mind, prospective farmers should:

• Discuss options with a member of the Teagasc organic advisory team, which has been expanded to support practice adoption in organics.
• Visit organic farms and review research findings from the GROFarmS project.
• Contact an Organic Certification Body (Organic Trust or Irish Organic Association).
• Develop a conversion plan before applying to the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS).
• Look at criteria for applications in last OFS opening.

More information

For more information on The GROFarmS project and for the latest organic research and advisory updates visit here.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of the Teagasc NFS team. We thank Brian Moran (NFS Team Lead), John Lennon (NFS technician) and Niall Stringer and Niamh Noone (Organic farm recorders), along with the wider team of NFS recorders. We also extend our sincere thanks to the farmers who participate in the NFS.

Compiled and edited by Mark McGee and Paul Crosson, Teagasc, Grange Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, and first published in BEEF2026 – Driving Sustainable Performance, additional reading from BEEF2026 is available here.