€500 is profitable cull value increase target

A rise of €450-500 between cull and finished cow values will be needed on many dairy farms this winter to leave a margin of approximately €100 to the farmer for finishing cull cows.

This is based on current prices of forage and feed, and the performance of cull cows recorded at Teagasc Moorepark (Holstein Friesian cull spring-calving dairy cows).

The number of cull cows slaughtered annually in Ireland is approximately 330,000.