Dairy industry taking hard line on bull calves crisis

Last year the worst of the dairy bull calves sold for as little as €5-10/ hd. With more calves likely to be on off er this February and March, one mart source said it was “difficult to be optimistic” about the trade for dairy bull calves unless beef prices made a “remarkable recovery” in the meantime.

The dairy industry has also taken a hard line with its milk suppliers on the ‘bull-calves issue’.

At the Macra conference in Cork Dairygold CEO Jim Woulfe reiterated that there would be “no tolerance for an uncaring approach” to animal husbandry.

However, Dr Boyle cautioned that retaining bull calves on busy dairy farms during the spring significantly increased the risk of serious animal welfare issues.

“I do have concerns about dairy farmers having to rear bull calves that are essentially worthless,” Dr Boyle said.

Mr Woulfe maintained that the onus was on dairy farmers to ensure that “best practices” in terms of animal husbandry apply to the rearing of dairy bull calves.

He said farmers had to accept that the male calf was a “by-product” of the dairy industry and warned of the potential for the dairy sector to lose customers if “animal welfare isn’t right”.

Consumers

“The consumer today is looking to see that things are being done correctly all the way down the line,” he insisted.

Mr Woulfe said the bull calf issue was being “debated at co-op level right across the country”.

Meanwhile, IFA presidential candidate Tim Cullinan accused some industry commentators of “creating panic amongst dairy farmers” by predicting a total collapse in bull calf prices next spring, and even raising a disposal problem for next March and April.

“What the industry should be focusing on is developing market outlets, based on consumer demand across Europe, and securing those markets through a targeted marketing strategy,” said Mr Cullinan.

“There is an enormous market for veal calves in Europe and with the high health status and quality of Irish calves, we should be fighting for a share of that market and not resorting to fatalism.”

His rival Angus Woods warned of the repercussions for both the dairy and beef sectors, and “brand Ireland”, of a “badly handled dairy calf issue”.

“The one thing we cannot forget about with the calf trade is the welfare,” he said. “That has to be paramount and override any other interest. Without calf welfare we are in serious trouble.”