Under siege

Claire Mc Cormack

land, suckler cows or sheep are probably all that is going to be able to survive on that land and that is probably going to continue into the future,” he says.

Bord Bia beef specialist Mark Zieg said there is definitely “potential” for it and it has been under discussion with customers, including those on the continent. However, he cau- it doesn’t lend itself to it. It is a part of the sector that needs a lift.”

The latest ICBF figures show the suckler herd is continuing to decline as dairy cow and calf numbers surge ahead. Currently there are 1,004,334 beef-bred cows nationally — a drop of almost 80,000hd on the 2009 peak.

Teagasc has predicted that average dairy farm incomes could rise to between €75,000 and €80,000 in 2017 on the back of recovering milk prices, a static cost environment and higher milk production.

And while many suckler farmers are part-time and have off-farm employment, a staggering 51pc earned less than €10,000 from farming enterprises in 2016.

The income gap between suckler and dairy farmers can be challenging when accessing finance for farm expansion, says Mr Dillon.

“The top dairy farmer is making significant margins for the last five or six years, they probably have some cash built up and are showing profits and that is giving the banks confidence to invest in them to borrow money.

“We have beef farmers that are making a good margin currently, but the national average figures aren’t tremendous at all. It would help significantly on better quality higher confirmation animals if you had a premium price for suckler beef but it’s for industry to decide.”

Suckler farmers agree with Mr Dillon that an independent suckler-bred beef brand would add another dimension