Gain the finishing edge at BEEF2026
Farmers attending BEEF2026 will have the opportunity to gain practical insights into improving growing and finishing animal performance.
A central feature of the event will be a live cattle handling and finishing demonstration, facilitated by Teagasc specialist and advisory staff alongside factory procurement personnel. Farmers will see first-hand the key areas to assess when selecting animals for sale, including the correct and incorrect levels of carcass fatness and the fat scores and grades required under the Quality Payment Scheme (QPS).
Speaking ahead of the flagship beef event, taking place on Wednesday, July 1 at Teagasc, Grange, Dunsany, Co. Meath, Teagasc Beef Specialist, Niall Kerins said: “For both suckler and dairy-beef systems, drafting cattle when they are fit is central to maximising returns.
“Delivering animals that are under-finished or over-fat can lead to penalties, additional feed days and reduced efficiency. The demonstration will help farmers build confidence in identifying when animals are ready for slaughter.”
Nationally, a relatively high percentage of cattle are being slaughtered at excessively high fat scores. This represents an economic cost through the use of grazed grass, silage or concentrate on animals with declining carcass performance efficiency. Selecting animals at the appropriate fat score is a must have skill for all farmers finishing beef animals.
“Preliminary results from the Beef Quest Project, which we will discuss in detail, show that many animals fail to achieve the desired levels of weight gain, thus delaying the age at finish.
“Our focus at BEEF2026 through the Growing and Finishing Village is to provide farmers with the tools and technologies they need to address this under performance to not only improve animal performance but to increase profitability and reduce the carbon footprint of Irish beef production systems,” Dr Paul Smith, Research Officer at Teagasc, Grange, said in advance of the event.
To do this, BEEF2026 will also cover wider growing and finishing cattle management issues. Frank O’Sullivan, vet at Teagasc Grange, will outline key animal health considerations, while space allowance will be covered, including the correct areas required and their impact on performance. Nutritional factors will also be discussed, focusing on winter and finishing diets.
From a financial perspective, David Argue, Teagasc Beef Specialist, will present finishing budgets for the winter ahead. Other key areas to be covered will include nutrition, growth-rate targets and the latest Teagasc research on feed additives.
About BEEF2026
BEEF2026 will showcase systems and technological advances that can be utilised by cattle farmers from across the country, to increase production and drive income in a sustainable way. Information boards and talks on the main topics of interest to cattle farmers will be presented. These will be combined with live demonstrations and interactive sessions focusing on the latest animal and grassland research and technologies of benefit to Irish beef farmers.