As the Northern Ireland government presses ahead with it's Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme, RBST has repeated it's concern that this could have an adverse impact on Native Breeds. The scheme will see the introduction of a maximum slaughter age of 26 months for Beef Cattle by 2027. 

The scheme, introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is part of a new programme of Farm Support and Development being introduced to replace current support schemes. DAERA says that it is designed to improve the efficiency of the beef sector and reduce livestock greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to meeting the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 targets.

Implemented on January 1, 2024, the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme will pay farmers for each clean finished beef animal slaughtered at or below the target age which, for this year, is 30 months. The payment will be made to the producer who held the animal for at least 60 days during the final 100 days of its life before slaughter. Animals moved out of Northern Ireland for immediate slaughter elsewhere will also be eligible for the payment.

RBST first voiced its concerns over plans for a 24 month maximum slaughter age in 2022, when DAERA launched a consultation process. It pointed out that while some breeds can be satisfactorily finished in 24 months, many native breeds take much longer to finish. If sent to slaughter prematurely, they become less productive as they will achieve a lower price than when fully matured.

In its response to the consultation, RBST pointed out that there are also welfare implications, with clear evidence that animals with forced high growth rates may suffer from serious health problems, including lameness and reproductive disorders.

Commenting on the launch of the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme, RBST CEO Christopher Price says: “We believe that the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme is flawed on economic, environmental and welfare grounds. The force behind this move is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and while we fully support this objective, we strongly oppose certain of the proposals, principally the drive to reduce the maximum slaughter age. In our response to the consultation, we urged that reduction of overall livestock numbers be done by simply having fewer, not by keeping the existing numbers for shorter periods in more intensified industrial systems.

“One key point we raised was based on ethical grounds. If you sell direct, and don’t calve all year round, you will be unable to maintain continuity of supply unless you finish some animals at fifteen months to make sure none go over the twenty four month threshold. The alternative will be a big glut of cattle coming on the market in the spring. We suspect that if it became known that animals were being slaughtered at such a young age, there would be considerable adverse responses.

“If the right breed is kept in the right place at the right density, generally outdoors on grass, inputs are significantly reduced, bringing both financial and climate benefits. Equally important, it better ensures that the animals have a good life. While the scheme has now gone live, we would still urge DAERA to reconsider implementing its wholesale application and take a more pragmatic approach by accepting the benefits of killing certain breeds at a later stage.”

Photograph - Irish Moiled Cattle - John Smiley