Written answers

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Beef Industry

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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159. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the national average beef calving statistic for calving intervals in each of the years 2008 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7283/19]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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160. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the national average beef calves per cow statistic in each of the years 2008 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7284/19]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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161. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average national carcase weight and confirmation scores for beef on beef in each of the years 2008 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7285/19]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 to 161, inclusive, together.

Information on the national carcass weight and conformation scores for beef is available here:

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The 2018 report is due to be published in the coming days and hard copies of the relevant reports from 2008 - 2018 will be sent to the Deputy's office when the 2018 data are available.

Statistics on calving interval and calves/cow/year for the national beef herd do not form a part of DAFM's standard reporting. These data will be compiled from the AIM system and forwarded to the deputy as soon as they are available.

My Department is pursuing a policy of ensuring that supports to the beef sector explicitly support and encourage suckler farmers to make the best decisions possible to improve both the economic and environmental efficiency of their farming system.

The Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) is currently the main support specifically targeted for the suckler sector, which provides Irish beef farmers with some €300 million in funding over the current Rural Development Programme (RDP) period. This scheme is an agri-environmental measure to improve the environmental sustainability of the national suckler herd by increasing genetic merit within the herd.

I recently launched the Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot (BEEP), a €20 million pilot scheme specifically aimed at further improving the carbon efficiency of beef production from the suckler herd, by measuring the weaning efficiency of suckler cows and calves.

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