What’s on in the Sustainable Livestock Village?

What is the Sustainable Livestock Village?

The Sustainable Livestock Village provides a ‘one-stop shop’ with key agencies working together to deliver clear, practical messages to farmers on what they can do now to boost the sustainability of their farms and highlight supports available.

The village also demonstrates the considerable efforts being made by farmers across the country to enhance the sustainability of their farm.

The village aims to highlight practices that help reduce environmental impact and improve family farm income.

Eight organisations are taking part in the Sustainable Livestock Village including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Bord Bia, Teagasc, ICBF, Animal Health Ireland, Dairy Industry Ireland, Meat Industry Ireland and the Irish Farmers Journal.

The village is also supported by FBD.

The village includes several farmers sharing their experience of implementing sustainability practices on their farms.

Focus areas for the Sustainable Livestock Village in 2024, include: protecting water quality, Dairy Industry Ireland and Meat Industry Ireland will highlight the supports available to farmers through the five years, €60 million Farming for Water programme and outline how farmers can apply and participate.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will outline Government supports available to help farmers in relation to water quality.

Reducing emissions

Teagasc will outline some of the actions that farmers can take to reduce emissions, focusing on topics such as reducing the age at first calving, applying lime and reducing the age at finish.

They will highlight the financial benefit of these actions such as how reducing age at first calving by one month can improve returns by €54 per animal.

Bord Bia and Teagasc will outline how farmers can develop an AGNAV action plan for their farm focusing on areas that offer potential to reduce emissions and boost farm performance.

Bord Bia will also outline the progress made by SBLAS members in reducing their carbon footprint and how this is positioning Ireland strongly with evolving market asks.

Using the Commercial Beef Value index, ICBF will highlight the role of the Commercial Beef Value index (CBV) in helping farmers make breeding and purchasing decisions that can increase their profitability.

This will be supported by a livestock display of suckler-bred and dairy-bred cattle, which will show a potential difference in finishing value of €175 between high and low CBV dairy bred steers.

Healthy animals for healthy farms

Animal Health Ireland (AHI) will focus on the importance of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and parasite control to ensure healthy animals that optimise farm productivity and outline supports available through AHI programmes.

Protecting nature

Teagasc will outline practical steps farmers can take to enhance hedgerows and support wildlife on their farms.

Speakers' Corner

A new addition to the Sustainable Livestock Village in 2024 is the introduction of the Speakers’ Corner in partnership with FBD Insurance.

This will involve a series of short, farmer focused discussions to allow visitors hear from farmers and experts on topics ranging from protecting water quality, reducing your carbon footprint, younger finishing, developing a sustainability plan and enhancing nature.

The 20-minutes sessions will run on the hour from 11am to 3pm with the first session chaired by Jack Kennedy, editor of the Irish Farmers Journal.