Biofuel A 'Saviour' For Irish Cattle Farmers

IRELAND - Despite surging feed prices, the advent of the biofuel industry can only be considered a good thing for livestock farmers.

20 November 2007

1 minute read

Europe

Teagasc beef expert Gerry Keane said the biofuel industry will drive competition for land and will raise the prices of produce. "This will be the saviour of the industry," he told the Teagasc beef conference in Portlaoise last week.

"We are more fortunate than others as many of our main lines of production are less dependent on concent- rates, therefore we will benefit more."

He said that even when the industry had moderately priced concentrates, it still was impossible to finish cattle without a price increase in the spring. "The range of increases in the spring ranged from six percent to 22pc. We will need an even higher increase this spring. Normally, when the price of an input goes up we use less of it.

"But this is difficult when we are using concentrates to finish cattle. Our system of beef production has to change," he said.

Dr Keane said that within the farmgate there is a lot of opportunity to increase performance without an increase in concentrates. "Farmers should look at the density of cattle in pens, underfoot conditions and good quality slats -- all of these factors can contribute to improving performance."

Source: Irish Independent