With a focus on the environmental impact of beef production, SAC Senior Agricultural Consultant, Robert Ramsay took a look at how we can start to shift the balance.

The word efficiency comes up a lot with regards to the environment, writes Robert.  However, farmers should be mindful that most of the on-farm climate change mitigation options they have at their disposal will also have a positive impact on their pockets.  When COP26 was running, farmers were preparing for and heading into winter, the most expensive time of year for most.  It is therefore important both in terms of efficiency and profitability to lighten the load and avoid carrying any passengers through the winter.  A simple pregnancy diagnosis of suckler cows will cost a few pounds, provide excellent management information which could help reduce environmental impact and save you a lot of money.  Any empty cows found in the autumn should be culled out of the system, releasing their capital value and avoiding the burden of their wintering costs.  This year, silage and straw stocks are limited in some parts of the country, so it is even more important to remove passengers from the system.  While the environmental impact of methane emissions from cattle is argued by many, no one can argue that an empty cow is an efficient one.  Find the Working Towards Net Zero guides here.