Blade Farming launches 'Star Sires' Initiative
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Following 18 months of genetic assessments and research, Blade Farming, the company that has pioneered the UK’s first integrated beef supply chain, has developed a scheme to help dairy farmers improve the beef qualities of the pure Holstein male dairy calves born on their farms.
Beef from the dairy herd supplies more than 50% of cattle processed in the UK but some 2,000 Holstein male dairy calves are killed each week, at or shortly after birth, mainly because their body conformation is not suited to beef production. Beef finishers are often put off from rearing and finishing Holstein bull calves due to the variability in carcass shape and health status of the calves and welcome a scheme that would reduce the variability.
Richard Phelps, Blade Farming’s Managing Director explains: “Blade Farming buy thousands of Holstein bull calves each year and we operate a number of farm production systems. We commissioned research to identify the sires of calves that were found to produce good beef. As a result, we are now recommending eight bulls to dairy farmers as Blade Star Sires. We need to improve calf quality by improving the genetics, but we must also focus on the health of the calf at a very early stage. Blade rearing units are predominantly in the South West of England where we operate a calf collection centre. The Star Sires Scheme will focus on this region for the time being with the objective for us to expand the scheme - provided that more beef finishers and processors come forwards.
“Farmers using semen from one of these bulls will gain either a good dairy heifer replacement or a male dairy calf that will give a good return instead of a disposal cost. The whole objective of the scheme is to increase the value of the calves by improving the beef qualities that should benefit British farming and create a viable alternative to shooting for the dairy farmer. This scheme is by no means exclusive to Blade as we want more calf purchasers to see that a Star Sire approved calf should be a better Holstein beef bull calf and therefore create more of a demand for these animals.”
The research into ‘Blade Star Sires’ was carried out by Paul Westaway, a beef farmer who worked with a leading breeding company for nine years and who is currently chairman of the British Cattle Breeders Club. Westaway advises: “Data shows that some farms produce over 90% of Holstein bull calves that are suitable for beef production while with others the number can be as low as 5%. There are two main factors, providing adequate colostrum for the first three days of life and the genetic makeup of the sire and dam of the calf.
"We have set minimum criteria for production, type, lifespan and somatic cell count so that dairy farmers do not compromise the qualities they need in their heifers for future milk production."
One of the beef finishers that will benefit from the Star Sires Scheme is John Hoskin from Dorset who finishes more than 350 head of Holstein bulls each year for Blade. John Hoskin said: "I have always said that Holstein beef production systems can offer a reasonable return but more effort should be put into improving the genetics and the health. I know that this scheme will give more consistent cattle which will help my farm production system, and with better calves from the high health rearing units that Blade operates, I should reduce the time the cattle are finishing on my unit which will increase the amount I finish each year."
The scheme has been approved by Professor Jeff Wood from the University of Bristol as a viable way to produce beef with good standard eating qualities on the basis that the cattle are reared and finished to a strict criteria.
Blade Farming has been involved with Compassion in World Farming and the RSPCA on the Beyond Calf Exports Stakeholders Forum along with other key industry players. The objective of the forum has been to find welfare friendly and economically viable options to keep black and white male dairy calves within the UK’s beef or veal production supply chain rather than exporting them or killing them at or shortly after birth.
Philip Lymbery, Chief Executive of Compassion in World Farming said: “Blade has been very active within the forum and is to be congratulated for identifying ways that dairy farmers can ensure that dairy bull calves can be reared and given a good life on British farms instead of being exported abroad to continental veal systems or killed at or shortly after birth.”
David Bowles, RSPCA’s Head of External Affairs said: "We welcome this initiative and believe that schemes such as this that have been developed through the Calf Forum can be of long-term benefit to the UK beef and dairy industry as well as boosting calf welfare."
Farmers who purchase semen from ‘Blade Star Sires’ will be supplied with an additional ear tag for the calves – an orange tag with embossed star, the herd number and individual Blade ID.
The eight bulls being recommended to dairy farmers are: Leif - Bullsemen.com; Wa-del Junction – Genus Breeding; Ked Outside Jeeves – Genus Breeding; Levin – Bullsemen.com; Regancrest RBK Diehard – Genus Breeding; Lisleview Mtoto Lethal – Bullsemen.com; Jelto – Bullsemen.com; Jeffana Outside Voyage – Genus Breeding.
