Irrational fixation with animal age will ruin our sector

In our lives, very occasionally something happens — or someone says something that suddenly shows the many facets of a complex problem reduced down to one simple truth.

The conundrum facing beef farmers is the fact that traditional finishing of beef animals in Ireland revolves around the reality that the most economical way of finishing an animal is to feed them ‘ad-lib’ grass.

Not only is it the most economical, but it also ticks all the boxes when it comes to the environment, animal welfare and the marketability of Irish beef as clean and green.