Beef farmers accelerates its access to vital knowledge to drive sector sustainability

THE BovINE project’s Knowledge Hub containing more than 400 posts of validated research and ‘on farm’ good practices has logged 2,000 visits by individual users accessing 25,000+ page views in less than a year

Through national activities, BovINE launches its awareness initiative to ensure more beef farmers and their advisors take advantage of the freely available knowledge and practical advice on the Knowledge Hub.

Many farmers across Europe, together with their business and specialist advisers, have already accessed knowledge on the BovINE Knowledge Hub organised across the four main themes of animal health & welfare, socioeconomic resilience, production efficiency and meat quality and environmental sustainability.

Kevin Kinsella (pictured), Network Manager in Ireland of the BovINE EU funded Network project, says: “The BovINE Knowledge Hub holds a wealth of knowledge validated through ‘on farm’ demonstrations and practice and through research. With the beef farming sector and community challenged across many fronts here in Ireland, it is essential that the knowledge needed to meet the expectations of regulators, the market and consumers to improve the sustainability of the sector reaches those who need and will use it – the farmers.

The BovINE Knowledge Hub is an excellent source of information for farming support and advisory networks as well as for farmers directly. Through our national meeting in Ireland, which will be held online on Tuesday, October 25, organised by the national BovINE team, more Irish beef farmers will be provided with direct links to the Knowledge Hub, enabling them to access and utilise the information they need.” The meeting in Ireland is one of nine BovINE national meetings for farmers and their advisers in Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain. Running alongside the meetings is a communications campaign across social and the specialist media in all languages utilising content from the Knowledge Hub on topics particularly pertinent to each country.

IFA National Livestock Chairman Brendan Golden, a beef farmer from Co Mayo, and a member of the national BovINE Network recommends other farmers join and access the Knowledge Hub: “The BovINE Knowledge Hub is very useful as it enables farmers to find answers for the challenges facing the sector. The BovINE project is really important for the whole beef sector across Europe as it allows us to share problems and solutions.”

Dr. Richard Lynch, Teagasc, Bovine project manager, indicates the collaborative opportunities of the Hub: “Joined up thinking across EU member states has major potential.

As farmers, advisors and researchers, we could achieve so much more working together and sharing knowledge in the EU. BovINE provides an ideal hub to facilitate this.” Join the BovINE Awareness initiative on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and access the ‘BovINE Bitesize’ beef farming nuggets linked to the Knowledge Hub and aimed at driving the sustainability of European beef farming.