CBV delivers better results no matter the animal type, says Irish Cattle Breeding Federation
ICBF reports top CBV calves are performing better at finishing.
Recent data analysis has shown top-ranked Commercial Beef Value (CBV) cattle return more per head, finish earlier and carry a lower carbon footprint.
Data analysis conducted by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) of over 145,000 slaughtered animals showed top-ranked CBV cattle returned €120-€400 more per head, finished earlier and carried a lower carbon footprint, highlighting the CBV as a useful tool for farmers looking to boost sustainability and profitability.
The cohort of animals was finished in Ireland between June 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, and included four animal types: Angus x Dairy Steers, Hereford x Dairy Heifers, Dairy Steers and Limousin x Suckler Steers.
At slaughter, the top-ranked CBV Angus steers returned €170 more per animal, driven by heavier carcass weights, and added 21kgs, and superior conformation. Crucially, this performance gap was not evident at calf purchase.
The price difference between top and bottom-ranked CBV cattle was €55 per head. High CBV Angus’ also finished 27 days earlier, delivering an additional €45.63 per head based on Teagasc cost estimates, further strengthening their economic advantage.
Alongside profitability, the Angus steers also delivered environmental benefits, with the steers in the top 20% obtaining a lower carbon footprint of 0.4kg CO2 equivalent per kg of carcass weight.
Examining the CBV of Hereford cross animals, the top-ranked heifers returned €138 more per animal, driven by a heavier carcass weight, an increase of 16kg, and superior conformation.
This performance gap was again not fully evident at the calf purchase and resulted in a price difference of €40 per head between the top and bottom-ranked CBV calves.
As well as better finish weight, returned top-ranking Herefords finished 114 days earlier than the bottom-ranked animals. Environmentally, the top CBV-ranked Hereford heifers produced 1.9kg CO2 equivalent per kg of carcass weight less than the bottom-ranked.
Dairy steers showed similar trends, with performance gaps not being evident at calf purchase. Top-ranked animals reached a finishing price of €121, driven by heavier carcass weights (+14kg) and better confirmation, with 34 fewer days to finishing weight.
The price difference was only €25 between top- and bottom-ranked animals and a slight difference of 0.7kg CO2 equivalent per kg of carcass weight, less for top-ranked animals.
High Limousin suckler steers returned €398 more finishing price in the top-ranked cohort with a higher finishing weight of 47kg and better conformation.
Calf prices had a difference of €220 per head between top and bottom-ranked calves, with the performance gap not fully evident at weaning purchase.
Finishing age was two days longer in top CBV limousine animals, but it has a reduced environmental impact, at 0.2kg CO2 equivalent per kg of carcass weight.
