Beef HealthCheck celebrates 10 years
Dr Natascha Meunier, Beef HealthCheck programme manager, said: 'Healthy animals are the bedrock of everything we do as an export-focused beef-producing country.'
The Irish flagship beef health programme, the Beef HealthCheck, celebrates a decade of work.
Animal Health Ireland (AHI) credits the decade-long programme as a key to ensuring healthier beef animals in Ireland.
This is a milestone that underlines how farm-level health data, applied consistently at scale, can transform an entire industry's competitive position.
Since its launch, the programme has assessed more than 7.7 million animals and issued over one million reports to 64,000 farmers across Ireland.
It now covers approximately 65% of the national kill across 17 factories, making it one of the most comprehensive post-mortem surveillance programmes in European beef production which gives direct feedback to farmers.
In 2025 alone, almost 92,000 reports were issued covering 783,000 cattle from 22,100 herds. Despite a weather-driven spike in liver fluke prevalence in 2024, the 2025 data show active infections down 29% year-on-year.
AHI say this is a direct reflection of farmers acting on the intelligence the programme provides, alongside the industry promoting effective liver fluke management. Liver abscess levels remain stable. Pneumonia prevalence, while slightly up, remains low overall.
Delivered in partnership with participating Meat Industry Ireland (MII) members and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), the programme converts routine abattoir data into actionable herd health intelligence, giving farmers direct, practical feedback on liver fluke, liver abscess and pneumonia identified at slaughter.
Beef HealthCheck Programme Manager at Animal Health Ireland, Dr Natascha Meunier, said: "For 10 years, Beef HealthCheck has delivered real, measurable benefits for farmers, their vets and the wider industry. Healthy animals are the bedrock of everything we do as an export-focused beef-producing country.
"At a time when production is contracting globally, the health advantage Ireland can demonstrate through programmes like this is not marginal; it is central to our ongoing success."
“I pay tribute to the collective efforts of everyone in the industry, especially participating processors in Meat Industry Ireland and their farmer suppliers, and the temporary veterinary inspectors collecting the information who have engaged so meaningfully in making the Beef HealthCheck such a success.”
Regional analysis has highlighted persistent liver fluke pressure in north-western counties, while also revealing a more nuanced picture nationally: within-herd infection rates are often lower than farmers assume, enabling targeted, evidence-based treatment decisions rather than blanket intervention.
AHI report that 11.2% of herds sending 10 or more animals to slaughter over the past decade have shown no evidence of liver fluke. This reinforces the case for tailored parasite control and prudent anthelmintic use.
