IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL 38 LIVESTOCK Saturday 15 February 2020 Animal health Some home truths about FREE antibiotics PEDIGREE MAGAZINE Cork had the highest registrations for the Angus (2,199), Aubrac (124), Hereford (1,306), Saler (101) and Simmental (343). If we don’t start to use Tipperary had the highest registration for the Blonde Aquitaine breed (114) and Piemontese breed (53) Laois had the highest number of Belgian blue calves (50) antibiotics diff erently, then Charolais registrations were highest in Mayo (771) Clare took pole position for Limousin registrations (876) and Shorthorn registrations (196) it’s not just our animals’ INSIDE NEXT WEEK’SParthenaise registrations were highest in Wexford PAPER with 73 health that will be aff ected, Hamilton Farms – Angus Aficionados >> 47-59 Breed distribution it’s our own and our families’, Tips on increasing the effi(including ciency 9% VAT) of fertiliser use Fertilisers Focus: R1 8 February 2020 S | Vol 72 No 6 | Price €3.20 FREE Who’s breeding

The voice of Ireland’s farming industry farmersjournal.ie RANGE KIDS what: a county writes Tommy Heff ernan IRISH Collecting eggs, feeding ducks and mucky wellies are part of a unique by county pre-school education FARMERS off ered on a breakdown Charolais he One Health campaign we have Limerick farm registrations were highest in Mayo (771). t’s no surprise that many of the counties match been working on with the De- their pedigree population to the market. Cork has the highest number of pedigree JOURNAL registrations for Angus, Aubrac and Hereford, EU plans new three breeds long associated with dairy market Clare took pole partment of Agriculture is all because of their easy calving and short gesta- Laois had the labelling for tion. position for Limousin highest number The Rebel county was also top in registra- of Belgian Blue tions for the Saler and Simmental breeds. In total, registrations (876) all meat calves (50). factory price nearly 5,500 of Ireland’s 2018 crop of pedigree calves and Shorthorn about raising awareness and I registrations (196). Revealed: and milk were born in our largest county. Similarly, western counties, which are dominated products by suckler herds have the highest registrations for understanding of what AMR, Charolais and Limousin calves. >> 3, 22-23 Parthenaise NEWS & AGRIBUSINESS Charolais registrations peaked at 771 in Mayo, Irish R3 heifers were 16c/kg behind registrations the EU average in autumn 2019, com- while Limousin numbers totalled 876 in Clare. They A joint awareness campaign by the gap of up to €150/headof young bulls in 2019, closing out were highest price paid by the top- and bo om- the year at 43c/kg below the EU av- pared with just a 2c/kg diff erential and many other surrounding counties saw beef calf in 2018. in Wexford or antibiotic resistance, is and how it PHELIM O’NEILL performing factories for R3 heifers erage price. registrations in excess of 70%, with the majority using TheAngus factory price leagues also ex- For steers, the diff erential in 2019 at 73. MARKETS SPECIALIST EXCLUSIVE and steers. a continental bull. pose the extent to which beef farmers was 17c/kg or 7c/kg more than the ELECTION 2020 [email protected] On a typical steer carcase, this In-calf heifers in Irish Farmers Journal and the Overall, Munster produced the highest number equates to €60 per head. paid the cost of the factory protests year previous. Tipperary had of pedigree calves, accounting for thenearly snow 40% on of the the In some instances, the price diff er- throughAficionados lower autumn prices. Based the highest Irish farmers could gain or lose €40 to T BALLOT BOX Hamiltons’ farm. aff ects us all. on comparative data from previous MORE INSIDE national herd. €150 per head when choosing which ence for the same grading carcase was See p18-21 for prices and analysis registration for factory to sell their ca le to. as much as 38c/kg or €150 per head. years, the fi nancial burden of the pro- WHAT’S Blondes(114) and The Irish Farmers Journal factory The price analysis also shows the tests carried by farmers was €30m. Cork had the highest Department of Agriculture, Food and n recent years the bull HF Rebel 53Y BEEFS: Piemontese (53). price leagues show that in 2019 there extent to which factories cut the price Rob and registrations for the Angus was a 15c/kg to 17c/kg diff erence in the has being a popular choice among DRIVING THE Pedigree beef calf births 2018 (2,199), Aubrac (124), Hereford I’ve learned a huge amount about how Gail Irish breeders, with a son Laheens (1,306), Saler (101) and Rebel selling for [how much and Hamilton Angus Aubrax Simmental (343). the Marine EARLY RISERS: where] – the top Angus price of FARMER VOTE? Carlow Blonde Belgian Blue 45 Charolais Cara, Jessie and Dublin 18 Hereford have spent 2019. However, the genetics from 39 17 Limousin Piedmonte big a threat antibiotic resistance is to our Tiarnan Lynch on NEWS >> 8 7 116 Parantese the HF Angus herd go back decades, Kildare 9 104 Salers their family dairy the past 37 93 Shorthorn Simmental with notable cattle lines such as Kilkenny 67 23 Total farm in Garfi nny, 314 5 1 36 6 36 52 20 14 Dingle, Co Kerry, 40 years the Tibbie, Evening Tinge, Rosebud and Laois 81 88 24 349 with some of 300 53 203 25 3 Blackbird all originating from this famous Louth 5 250 47 272 own health, our animals’ health and our their new dairy I Edmonton 72 50 243 13 building farm in northwest Alberta. Cochrane 186 12 19 46 calves. Both Meath 196 558 9 440 349 11 93 34 10 Tiarnan and his up their Run by Rob and Gail Hamilton, the HF Offaly 19 27 5 52 1,133 137 1 83 2 29 sister Jessie herd of 350 animals call a sprawling 6,000 Calgary Westmeath 10 257 231 199 HF herd – 405 6 6 491 1,619 are up at 6am acre prairie farm home. 57 210 4 102 environment. are not being controlled by antibiotics Wexford 267 1 17 1 187 26 381 each morning to From humble beginnings, Rob and 284 53 215 18 now one Wicklow 26 171 24 59 1,463 help their father 55 37 258 1 28 Michael with Gail along with their children Wyatt, Joel Irish Farmers Journal 49 149 185 12 96 of the best 1 20 418 11 974 milking. and Carlye have built an Angus empire in inally, Angus wasn’t a popular 156 1 58 65 Clare Over the following 30 years 19 197 73 61 1,272 \ Valerie O’Sullivan the town of Cochrane. 360 6 However, sometimes it takes a personal because they have been overused. It is known choice. Simmental, Charolais 39 51 Cork MVF Tibbie would13 become a 6 3 1,350 and Herefords would have 2,199 124 9 530 40 Angus Kerry household name25 for breeders 153 37 Finding a breed 672 17 876 590 been the three most popu- in Canada57 and across the 338 1,306 Limerick 19 3 773 74 herds in Casting his mind back nearly 40 years to lar breeds at that time, but 646 world. 370 196 85 Tipperary 22 364 28 101 2,335 experience to really make us sit up and time to be more responsible about when 393 the origin of the herd, Rob sets the scene: we were pretty confi dent 493 “We owned her in part-1 6 135 343 the world Waterford 103 107 435 32 5,420 “Gail and I both worked full-time. I was a that Angus was the right 114 12 431 24 98 271 nership8 with Mountain View 315 86 herdsmen for Purebred Operations and 25 422 6 90 2,127 choice.” Farms (MVF),” says Rob. 457 53 73 Cavan 37 107 4 60 Gail worked at an embryo transplant With cows but no farm, 529 “They put in embryos out 39 65 1,887 Donegal 5 12 2 95 and how we use them. It is vital to try to 143 take action.This week, the importance of company. 3 2,277 the couple had to rent land 118 there 61and we put in embryos 487 3 Monaghan 242 13 24 “We had to have a breed that could for the initial years until they 96 here and then we would split up9 489 530 10 680 5 kind of manage most things itself. We’d gathered enough money together to Rob and 4 28 168 15 the calves in the fall and sell some 246 27 81 ROSCREA PREMIER BULLworked with mostSHOW breeds, but wereAND SALEpurchase a bare piece of land. Galway Gail 133 324 24 1,896 SHOW 5.30PM SALE 11.30AM 318and breed the rest so that kind of 1 avoid using them unless your vet has ad- 120 the topic hit home. starting out on our own. Once we started Hamilton. 86 20 1,210 “For the fi rst 10 years we probablyLeitrim expanded our herd quickly.”4 28 53 15TH – 16TH MARCH 441 7 480 133 working with Angus, we knew that there were at 35 head because we couldn’t While4 the introduction of Tibbie 53 1,047 Longford 595 1 was no question. That’s what we wanted expand. We didn’t own any land and we 174 28 400 46 • All eligible for export • All vet inspected, fertility tested and sold under fertility insurance scheme • Mayo genetics may have brought2 a new blood- 80 250 80 • All herds participating in CHeCS accreditedto be doing.” Johne's herd testing programme • were both working full-time,” says Rob. 438 2 125 177 For enquiries call (Phone Limousin O ce for application) line into the herd,40 the foundation females 301 137 1,975 vised that they are absolutely necessary. Roscommon It started with a simple cut on my el- 3 171 9 69 00 353 (0)258 5036 Having chosen their breed, the duo “But then, in 1988, when we bought purchased474 from1 Greenvale Angus were 771 49 FINANCE AVAILABLE TO ROI PURCHASERS Sligo 12 58 638 21 1,307 went in search of cows and in 1981 MVF Tibbie 15T, we started doing lots of beginning241 to make their mark too. 12 508 14 www.irishlimousin.com 2 2 102 10 28 bought a group from Greenvale Angus. fl ushing and we were putting in lots of 1 286 28 878 Total With plenty of good bloodlines com- 276 54 176 9,507 19 4 9 2,225 “When we bought the cows orig- embryos.” ing through, 951the Hamiltons were ready 159 9 73 bow. I don’t even know how it happened. Vets and doctors have been informed 311 2 81 1,563 212 7,576 57 121 5,098 8,712 62 953 2020 4 PEDIGREE 2020 143 278 2 PEDIGREE 784 1,382 2,416 37,473 I just woke up one morning with a hot of their role in prescribing antibiotics and throbbing elbow and realised some- responsibly. Farmers have the responsi- thing was wrong. Not one for panicking, bility of ensuring the health and welfare I poulticed it and took some ibuprofen. of their animals. If animal health can be WHAT’S INSIDE? The work I had been doing on infec- optimised and disease prevented, it’s a tions for the past weeks was on my mind, ‘win-win’ for everyone as there won’t be and 12 hours later, when the pain wasn’t a need to use antibiotics in the fi rst place.  ICBF Exclusive: We ask all the hard ge ing be er, I knew I had the begin- It is accepted that some animals may questions that you need answers to. nings of cellulitis. It was time for a medi- get sick on our farms, and there will be cal opinion. a need to use antibiotics. We must work  The pros and cons of diff erent breeding The doctor started me on a course of harder to keep animals healthy. We can amoxicillin clavulanic acid, an antibiotic get advice from our vet and farm advis- strategies. commonly used to treat disease in farm ers so that we can do be er. animals. The diagnosis was septic bursi- We must also remember the bacteria  We analyse the data behind the beef, tis of the elbow, and thankfully within 24 we treat against make their way into the hours the pain and swelling was going environment, and this is also a potential dairy and sheep sectors. down as the antibiotics were working. source of resistant bacteria. By using less It hit me like a train. Something as sim- antibiotics in our animals and ourselves,  Will new technologies change ple as a scratch could be much worse with- we reduce the amount of antibiotics re- the way we breed our animals? out antibiotics. Everything I was telling leased into the environment driving the people about how much of a precious development of resistant bacteria.  We report from the home of beef resource these medicines are, I was now The key One Health message is to work personally living out. to improve animal health and reduce our production in Canada. Antibiotics have revolutionised human use of antibiotics. We must limit our an- medicine and added 20 years to our aver- tibiotic use with the principle of “only as  County by county breakdown age life span, as illustrated in the below much as necessary, and as li le as possi- image published in a newspaper during ble”. This won’t make our farms any less of all pedigree ca
le breeds. the second world war. We all depend on profi table, it will contribute to a more  antibiotics to treat disease in ourselves and sustainable future for farming. Key goals for the sheep our animals. This campaign has aimed to Changing how we use antibiotics and breeding sector. explain that they are no longer working reducing our need to use them sometimes as eff ectively as they were. The bacteria takes courage, but there are farmers who have done it. Being more responsible about how we use antibiotics means do- ing things slightly diff erently, reviewing Shane Murphy, our farm management and animal hus- PEDIGREE EDITOR bandry practices because the goalposts have moved. Antibiotic resistance is a real challenge and we can’t put our heads in DON’T MISS YOUR FREE PEDIGREE MAGAZINE the sand. In fact, legislation coming in 2022 will mean we won’t be allowed to. We all have a responsibility to keep ONLY INSIDE NEXT WEEK’S PAPER antibiotics working for ourselves, our families and future generations.