Irish Livestock - Grassfed or not?

Goldigga

Would it be fair to say that the majority of Irish livestock are grassfed? Or are they fed grains which is common place in the US.

taram

Mixed, if they're overwinted they'll be fed a mix of saved grass, clover, peas too probably for protein, maybe things like swedes or kale as well, depends on the farmer. Some will be fed some grain but it's definitly the minority, and as a supplement rather than main diet. We're not at all like the US in that respect.

Caveat, I'm an arable scientist, but these are the crops I deal with for other people to feed cows

itsallaboutheL

Goldigga wrote: »

Would it be fair to say that the majority of Irish livestock are grassfed? Or are they fed grains which is common place in the US.

Funnily enough the best beef farmers tend to finish their animals inside on grains.

El_Dangeroso

I don't think finishing on grains has much of an impact on meat composition as the diet the rest of the time.

Most Irish beef is largely grass-fed. Kerrygold butter is 100% grass fed. In America Kerrygold butter is a luxury brand believe it or not! American grain, hormone and god knows what else fed butter is a pale white colour disturbingly.

Macha

Lamb would also be another meat that is (almost?) all free range in Ireland and grass-fed. It would all be organic as well except for the chemicals in the sheep dip

brianthebard

Would spring lambs be dipped? We don't farm sheep at home but I think it only happens in the summer so would depend on the age of the lamb I think. Re: grain calves are often given 'nuts' which are mainly made of barley afaik, and finished with them like L said, but it wouldn't be the mainstay of their diets, too expensive for a start.

itsallaboutheL

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

I don't think finishing on grains has much of an impact on meat composition as the diet the rest of the time.

Most Irish beef is largely grass-fed. Kerrygold butter is 100% grass fed. In America Kerrygold butter is a luxury brand believe it or not! American grain, hormone and god knows what else fed butter is a pale white colour disturbingly.

this has nothing to do with beef??

apples and oranges....tbh.

Iristxo

So Irish animals are raised and fed the old way, no medicines, "natural food", grazing in pastures all day, no antibiotics, is that right? (bar pigs eating ashes and rubbish of course). We need not believe Jamie's porgram about poultry, right? Or does this only happen in the UK but not in Ireland? Is there any advantage to actually buying organic products or are they just giving us the exact same product for more money then?

brianthebard

Who said no antibiotics? They are used, just not excessively. Cattle aren't dosed as a preventative strategy for example. I wouldn't have considered chickens livestock tbh, but I guess they should be part of this thread, and yes the majority of Irish chicken is battery reared. Same for pigs I imagine which is a shame. I dunno where you're getting the ash and rubbish stuff though.

corkcomp

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

this has nothing to do with beef??

apples and oranges....tbh.

exactly!

also, there are several other options rather than "grass" or "grains" such as beet, maize and straw (which is not a grain as such). It always shocks me how much mis information is thrown about when the grass fed beef debate starts, mostly from people who dont REALLY know anything about farming.

brianthebard

straw? straw is for bedding....Do Irish farmers really feed their animals beet? I guess there are regional variations, but I would've thought that was a fairly outdated fodder. maize is still a grain though...

corkcomp

brianthebard wrote: »

straw? straw is for bedding....Do Irish farmers really feed their animals beet? I guess there are regional variations, but I would've thought that was a fairly outdated fodder. maize is still a grain though...

barley straw is a very common feed. fodder beet is also very common. i never think of maize / sweetcorn as a grain though, but by definition it is.

with the onset of diet feeders / mixers it is quite possible for cattle to get a mix of silage, maize, beet and some other grain all at the same feeding

Macha

brianthebard wrote: »

Would spring lambs be dipped? We don't farm sheep at home but I think it only happens in the summer so would depend on the age of the lamb I think.

Oh sorry yes, only older lambs would be dipped.

brianthebard

No need to be sorry was just thinking out loud.

Thanks for the clarification cc, wouldn't see beet and a lot of other stuff used at home but must be common elsewhere.

Iristxo

brianthebard wrote: »

Who said no antibiotics? They are used, just not excessively. Cattle aren't dosed as a preventative strategy for example. I wouldn't have considered chickens livestock tbh, but I guess they should be part of this thread, and yes the majority of Irish chicken is battery reared. Same for pigs I imagine which is a shame. I dunno where you're getting the ash and rubbish stuff though.

Thanks for your answer, that puts things in perspective for me and answers most of my questions.

Did the media not report at the time of the crisis with pork meat some year and a half ago that they were fed rubbish and ashes? I recall having heard and read that.

brianthebard

Iristxo wrote: »

Thanks for your answer, that puts things in perspective for me and answers most of my questions.

Did the media not report at the time of the crisis with pork meat some year and a half ago that they were fed rubbish and ashes? I recall having heard and read that.

I'm not sure what they were fed. If that was what happened then I'd be fairly certain it was not the norm for Irish pig farming.

El_Dangeroso

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

this has nothing to do with beef??

apples and oranges....tbh.

Sheesh..I was just pointing out that our dairy is from grass fed cows. I think they are related to the general topic of beef.

Grass-fed can generally be translated to 'not primarily grain fed' and most Irish beef would come into that category.

Goldigga

Quote:

this has nothing to do with beef??

apples and oranges....tbh

It's not apple and oranges actually. i asked the question about grass / grain fed livestock, so obviously there is going to be interest in dairy products that come from these cows.

Sheesh..I was just pointing out that our dairy is from grass fed cows. I think they are related to the general topic of beef.

Agreed

Goldigga

I started this thread after seeing the Movie Doc 'Food inc" and what goes on in the US in relation to the corn industry and how most of the farm animals are fed some form of corn / grain as there only source of food

I was thinking of opting for organic meat products, but it seems from the replies here that most irish farm animals are organic to a certain extent.

I think i will stick to my local butcher and just steer clear of the supermarkets for meat in the future.

Jennygro

what a coincidence, I watched food inc. last night too and was coming to boards.ie to look for this exact information.

I have asked my uncle numerous times about organic meat (who used to be a butcher for supervalue) and he told me a lot of the beef sold by irish supermarkets is imported (unless otherwise stated) from Brazil. He also said that back in the day they used to tell everyone the chicken is free-range, but that in reality free-range chickens are few and far between in Ireland.

I am delighted to hear that Irish cows are grass-fed (at least most of the time). And I had read somewhere before that Irish lamb was organic.
I'm very rigid about what I put in my body, so I won't eat non-organic meat. But if I ask about the origins of the meat in a butcher I get this pang of yuppy guilt, so I just stopped eating meat instead-less embarassing!

kuntboy

Where would one buy pasture raised chicken in Dublin?

Mellor

Goldigga wrote: »

It's not apple and oranges actually. i asked the question about grass / grain fed livestock, so obviously there is going to be interest in dairy products that come from these cows.



Agreed

I think his point was that the yellow/white colour has nothing to do with grass or grain


I have no idea if it does, but that's what I took his point as

me_right_one

Iristxo wrote: »

Thanks for your answer, that puts things in perspective for me and answers most of my questions.

Did the media not report at the time of the crisis with pork meat some year and a half ago that they were fed rubbish and ashes? I recall having heard and read that.

No. This is a bit hard to believe, but I think it was that the meal the pigs were fed was dried with hot air during its production, which was heated using the energy from an incinerator, which somebody burned some unauthorised waste in as opposed to "authorised" waste:rolleyes:

The whole thing was a complete overreaction. But it just shows you how good the Irish rules and regs are, and how stringent the traceability is out there!

me_right_one

Goldigga wrote: »

I was thinking of opting for organic meat products, but it seems from the replies here that most irish farm animals are organic to a certain extent.

To a certain extent???????? Eh, yea, about 95%

Goldigga wrote: »

I think i will stick to my local butcher and just steer clear of the supermarkets for meat in the future.

If its Irish beef, it doesn't matter if you buy it in the butchers or supermarket, same beef. I'd nearly state that Irish beef is the best in the world. Its definately up there anyway. I just cant understand why people bash it sometimes.

ApeXaviour

Mellor wrote: »

I think his point was that the yellow/white colour has nothing to do with grass or grain

I have no idea if it does, but that's what I took his point as

Didn't interpret it that way myself, but the yellow colour in irish butter is caused by beta carotene from the grass.

kuntboy

kuntboy wrote: »

Where would one buy pasture raised chicken in Dublin?

Anyone?

brianthebard

kuntboy wrote: »

Anyone?

Any organic chicken will have to have been outside.

Macha

kuntboy wrote: »

Anyone?

There is an organic butcher in the Food Market on Pearse St on Saturdays:

http://www.supernatural.ie/

There's an organic butchers in Terenure:

http://www.organicfoodsireland.com/index.php

And I think some of the veg box companies also do meat:

www.homeorganics.ie
www.absolutelyorganic.ie
etc