Beef cattle carbon emissions scheme 'could disadvantage us'

By Louise CullenBBC NI agriculture and environment correspondent

A County Londonderry farmer has raised concerns about a scheme aimed at reducing carbon emissions from beef cattle.

Jonathan Blair is the third generation of his family to work their farmland near Ballykelly.

His focus is on regenerative agriculture, mimicking nature and trying to let that do some of the heavy lifting in addressing climate change.

But he says the new scheme could put him at a disadvantage.

The Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme (BCRS) will reduce the age at which cattle go to slaughter on a phased basis.

The age of slaughter is due to fall from 30 months now in year one to 26 months in 2027.

There are payments available to those who meet the targets.

The scheme is part of a suite of measures being introduced to make farming more environmentally friendly.

Mr Blair's focus has been on pasture-fed beef - animals reared as much as possible on grass and which can be slower to reach slaughter weight.

But while he understands the point of the BCRS, he is concerned about its impact on farmers like him.

"What we're trying to do on this farm is try and produce our beef off grass-only, a naturally-occurring diet for ruminants," he said.

"They're not actually really intended to eat grain, we've just been able to feed them grain and got results off of that.

"So purely pasture-based and purely grass-fed beef animals will be held at a disadvantage to this as will rare breeds and breeds of cattle which are used in conservation type-grazing or hill-grazing where the environment is much harsher."

The challenge for those upland-grazing breeds and grass-fed herds has been recognised in the scheme.

The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) lobbied for a higher final slaughter goal of 26 months, as opposed to the 24 months the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) originally planned.

That will still pose a challenge for breeds like Moiles, Dexters and Angus, but not an insurmountable one, according to the UFU's deputy president John McClenaghan.

"Certainly the some of the data we've seen from Daera, in terms of the figures, would indicate that currently a number of those breeds are making the targets as they are set.

"We can see the merit in it - it's about more efficient farming."

An overall cap of 352,000 animals across Northern Ireland has been placed on the scheme so that it will not lead to further intensification of farming.

Agriculture contributes to 28% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Northern Ireland.

'More slurry and manure'

But Mr Blair is worried it could increase emissions from the national beef herd due to more intensive finishing of animals and the increased import of meal to feed them.

"That meal will have a carbon footprint in whatever country it is grown in, and that is just pure and simple exporting it off our shores on to another country," he said.

"It will also increase the amount of slurry and manure held on farms which will need to get disposed of, and increasing ammonia which is a concern at the moment.

"So, it'll actually do the opposite effect of what they're trying to do."

A spokesperson for Daera said the evidence showed more than 80% of animals were already achieving the required finish in the year one, 30 month target time, irrespective of breed.

They added that "many of the traditional native breeds are early maturing cattle, which means that under a given management regime, they grow more slowly than other breeds but they will achieve the desired levels of finish at lighter weights and at a younger age".

"Age at slaughter is strongly influenced by management decisions, irrespective of breed," the spokesperson added.

"The Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme is a voluntary measure designed to encourage better management and to reduce the carbon footprint of the beef sector."

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