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Turning the soil

The soil of Ireland is an immensely valuable, and finite, national resource, which forms and evolves slowly over very long periods of time. It is the basis for almost all farming activity. Soil is a biologically active, complex mixture of weathered minerals, organic matter, organisms, air and water that provides the foundation for life in terrestrial ecosystems. The general consensus is that soil quality in Ireland is good. Irish farmers have a major responsibility to nurture and protect this valuable resource for future generations.

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Laying hens

Poultry is the name given to birds that provide us with meat or eggs. The chicken, the turkey, the duck and the goose are the birds most commonly kept by farmers in Ireland. A female chicken is called a hen and a newborn chicken is called a chick. A male chicken is called a cock or a rooster and a young male chicken is called a cockerel. Chickens live in large groups called flocks.

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Beef calves from a dairy herd.

Calves of a beef breed from the dairy herd are an important source of raw materials for the Irish beef industry. Dairy herds breed their best animals to dairy breeds in order to provide replacements, but around 30% of the national dairy herd is mated to a beef sire in order to increase the value of the offspring. Angus and Hereford, which are noted for their ease of calving, are the most popular beef breeds for use in the dairy herd.

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A Charolais calf

Charolais cattle are the most popular beef breed in Ireland – (www.icbf.com). They originate in the Massif Central region of France, with the first imports to Ireland in 1969. Today, there are over 3,000 breeders of pedigree Charolais cattle in Ireland (www.charolais.ie). Pure bred or pedigree Charolais cattle have a distinctive white coat, although when crossed with other breeds they can be seen in various shades of grey or white. Their main attributes are fast growth, docility and ability to thrive when grazing or when fed intensively indoors.

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Piggery

Pigs live in a piggery. During a pig’s lifetime, it will live in three different houses within a piggery. A piglet begins life in a farrowing house where the sow will give birth. It will remain here until it is four weeks old. It will then be moved to a weaner house, where it stays until it is about 12 weeks old and approximately 32 kg in live weight. Following this, it will move to a finishing house, where it will reside until it is 6 months old and ready to be slaughtered at around 90 kg. Once a piglet is weaned and moved to the weaner house, the sow is moved to the dry sow house.

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Countryside

The spring barley harvest pictured at Redcross in Co Wicklow, with typical mixed farming countryside and the Irish Sea in the background. Part of the visual appeal of Ireland is that the agricultural land is farmed by an estimated 139,829 family farms. Two thirds of Ireland’s farms are less than 30 hectares in size. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) Farm Structure Survey in 2007 reported an average farm size of 32.3 hectares (75 acres) (www.cso.ie). The Farm Structures Survey involved a sample size of 55,000 farms and was also undertaken in 1991 and 2000. Fresh data on farm sizes will emerge in late 2012 when the full results of the 2010 Census of Agriculture are published.

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Pat O’ Keeffe, author of the Farming in Ireland section

Pat O’ Keeffe is the news editor and deputy editor of the Irish Farmers Journal.

Meat factory

Over 1.4million bovine animals were slaughtered at approved export meat plants in 2010. This consisted of 664,000 steers, 444,000 heifers and 337,000 cows. The product is sold in a range of formats to Irish and international customers. Irish beef processors now have a substantial presence in the retail markets of the UK and Continental Europe (www.bordbia.ie).

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Tagging

Every calf in Ireland must be tagged and registered within 20 days of birth. This unique 12 digit identification number must be maintained throughout the life of the animal and all changes in status or ownership must be notified to the central Animal database maintained by the Department of Agriculture. The system generates 100% traceability which is important for public and animal health protection. The Animal Identification and Movement System (AIM) database produces detailed statistics on the Irish cattle herd each year (www.agriculture.gov.ie).

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Cattle show

During the Summer, agricultural shows are hosted by communities throughout Ireland. A calendar of dates is available from the Irish Shows Association at (www.irishshows.org). Breeders of pedigree cattle, sheep and horses compete for the coveted rosettes, while there are numerous other events to entertain and amuse. The largest show on the calendar is the national livestock show held each year in Tullamore, Co Offaly (pictured). It attracts over 50,000 people and in 2011 hosted 1,900 cattle classes, as well as sheep, horses and countless other attractions (www.tullamore.com)

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