What Will The Effect of Sexed Semen Be?

[Frank-the-Wool]

With all Assured Dairy farms having to rear their calves or at least not knock them on the head at birth, what effect will this have on supply of beef cross calves.
Most have already said they will use sexed semen over their best cows so all the rest will go to a beef bull.
I would guess that the sire of choice will be an AA in the knowledge of easy calving and probably worth a small premium for the AA schemes.

I have no idea how many bull calves have never made it to be sold for beef but would hazard a guess that in TB areas the number would be quite high.

So how many extra beef animals will there be in a years time and what effect will this have on the supply chain?
I would guess that most will be run as bulls as they will need to be moved fairly quickly, however this market can get oversupplied at times.

Will it affect beef prices going forward? If concentrate/barley prices stay where they are at the moment they may be difficult to rear for any profit?

 

[Woolless]

There was a thread covering some of this ground in the dairy section a while back.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

There was a thread covering some of this ground in the dairy section a while back.

Surely it will have an effect on the beef market?
Can't see many Dairy farmers wanting to keep these calves for long, although if I heard it right they have to be 4 weeks old before they can be moved off the holding of birth.

 

[scholland]

There might be better money in rearing and fattening dairy beef than sucklers.

 

[dinderleat]

There will be better money in rearing and fattening dairy beef than sucklers.

With no bps in the future there will be massive change on most farms

 

[Gulli]

Supermarkets are beginning to stipulate which bulls can be used now.
It's a complex subject, but long term the beef industry will change and I think probably not for the better of anyone at our end.

 

[Woolless]

Surely it will have an effect on the beef market?
Can't see many Dairy farmers wanting to keep these calves for long, although if I heard it right they have to be 4 weeks old before they can be moved off the holding of birth.

I'm sure it will have an effect on the beef market. They were saying that calves might be required to live for a minimum of eight weeks. I understand that a lot are taken out before that for dog food, kebabs etc.

 

[nonemouse]

As a dairy farmer I’m not so sure it will make such a large difference. I’ve been using some sexed for over 15 years, over that time the national dairy herd has reduced massively, so the amount of dairy born calves heading into the beef industry has reduced.
Some people are worried about having to rear all these dairy calves, but if the job is done correctly, there should be a margin in them. As a matter of principle I think it’s wrong to shoot these healthy calves. All arla producers have to show that calves are reared to 8 weeks old.

 

[Werzle]

I thought there was as many dairy cows around but on fewer farms but i havent looked up the figures

 

[nonemouse]

I thought there was as many dairy cows around but on fewer farms but i havent looked up the figures

Not checked figures recently, yes average herd size gone up - so less dairy farms, but uk production is fairly static and average yields have gone up, so less cows needed.

 

[jackrussell101]

I think the gentle decline in suckler numbers will continue.

It's interesting really, on the one hand you've got the consumer/supermarkets/milk processors/welfare lobby in this country demanding an end to calves being shot, and rightly so I might add.

Yet on the other hand, there's the threat that the post-Brexit government will be able to import alot cheaper beef in from abroad, to lower consumers costs.

Surely the UK plc going down the higher welfare root of insisting all calves are reared will have to be backed up by a government that provides a stable market for domestic beef production and thus is careful of not destabilising the domestic beef industry by waving in beef from anywhere in the world?

 

[jackrussell101]

 

[jackrussell101]

I suppose things like Wales now being in an NVZ will limit how many dairy cows they'll be, possible urging dairy farmers to increase efficiency from existing numbers than piling more cows on?

 

[jackrussell101]

Does anyone know how many calves are shot annually in the UK?

 

[delilah]

Surely the UK plc going down the higher welfare root of insisting all calves are reared will have to be backed up by a government that provides a stable market for domestic beef production and thus is careful of not destabilising the domestic beef industry by waving in beef from anywhere in the world?

A UK produced purchasing policy for all state sector catering contracts would be of direct benefit to producers. The NFU should be pushing for this.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Does anyone know how many calves are shot annually in the UK?

Guardian article from a couple of years ago put the number at 95-120,000.

 

[ImLost]

Guardian article from a couple of years ago put the number at 95-120,000.

Bound to be highly accurate!

 

[Gulli]

Guardian article from a couple of years ago put the number at 95-120,000.

Many more will be going to kill at a couple of weeks old

 

[M-J-G]

I guess an answer the question in theOP one needs to know how many dairy calves are currently shot or exported.

 

[TheRanger]

It’ll only be jerseys and jersey crosses that are unwanted these days, there’s a steady market for black and white bull calves, even extreme holstein types.