Reduced finishing age lowers emissions 14% at Newford Farm

The farm is achieving a carbon footprint 14% lower than the national average.

Pictured beside an Eddy Covariance tower being used to quantify real-time greenhouse gas fluxes and meteorological variables are Jim O’Toole, Bord Bia chief executive; Professor Frank O’Mara, Director of Teagasc; Niall Browne, Dawn Meats chief executive.

Newford Suckler Demonstration Farm, in Co Galway, is successfully producing calves that gain weight rapidly and can be slaughtered at lower ages while maintaining beef quality, new results have confirmed.

The calves are delivering carcass weights which meet market requirements, with the latest findings suggesting that if the techniques and methods practised at Newford were implemented at scale nationally, they could drive significant improvement in on-farm efficiency and greatly reduce absolute emissions.