Finish beef cattle earlier to reduce emissions

Reducing the finishing age of prime beef cattle has the potential to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and costs of production.

The quicker an animal reaches the required liveweight and fat classification, the less feed and other inputs it will need.

In 2024, the average age at slaughter of prime-aged beef males was 21.7 months and for females it was 22.8 months in GB, with 42% of prime aged beef cattle slaughtered over 24 months of age.

For intensive systems, finishing cattle at 12–13 months, or 18–20 months in extensive production, has multiple environmental and economic advantages – the longer it takes to finish cattle, the more manure and methane they will produce.

Modelling by Alltech E-CO₂ and the Stabiliser Cattle Company has demonstrated that a farm could lower its carbon footprint by 10% by reducing the slaughter age of heifers from 24.8 months to 20 months and steers from 23.1 months to 18 months. In a system with bulls instead of steers, it showed an even greater reduction of 16.3% if the slaughter age of the bulls was accelerated to 13 months.

By finishing cattle earlier, feed and housing costs could be lower, however, you may need to increase daily feeding levels.

To reduce finishing times, you will need to make sure your management procedures support hitting target weight and carcase specifications.

There are three key areas that you can focus on to reduce the slaughter age of your cattle without compromising carcase weights or increasing production costs: genetics, nutrition and health.

Select beef breeding animals with specific traits to improve the growth rates of their progeny, e.g. using estimated breeding values (EBVs):

• 200-day growth rate (kg) – the best prediction of an animal's ability to grow to weaning
• 400-day growth rate (kg) – the best prediction of an animal's ability to grow to 1–2 years old
• 600-day growth rate (kg) – the best prediction of an animal's ability to grow beyond two years

The higher the 200-day EBV, the higher the suckled calf or weaning weight will be. Higher 400-day EBVs indicate earlier maturing progeny. The 600-day growth EBV is the best single estimate of an animal’s genetic merit for growth beyond yearling age.

By selecting for faster growth, the outcome should be cattle with heavier carcases at the same fat class, or leaner carcases at the same age.

Other EBVs are also important in achieving quicker finishing times, including those that focus on feed efficiency. Better feed efficiency during finishing results in animals needing less feed to achieve target growth. Feed efficiency is key not only to productivity and margins, but also to meeting commitments to reduce the carbon footprint of your farm – fewer inputs per unit of output will reduce the environmental impact of beef production.

• To optimise productivity, good nutrition must start from day one – the first intake of colostrum – and continue through to finishing
• Providing cattle with high-quality feed will improve growth rates compared to those fed a low-quality feed. For example, highly digestible, young leafy grass with clover versus stemmy grass, high in fibre and low in digestibility. Find out more about managing clover
• With good grassland management, you can sequester carbon and improve your profitability
• Housed cattle will grow and finish more quickly when fed high-digestibility silage, complemented with other feeds to produce a well-balanced, high-energy ration

• Health has major influence on days-to-finishing in beef cattle
• Minimising exposure to maximising defences against disease are critical in maintaining health and, as a consequence, performance
• Preventatives measures, including vaccination, will limit the need for treatment, particularly so with gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases such as scour and pneumonia, which both negatively impact growth
• Work closely with your farm vet to produce a herd health plan
• By measuring and monitoring growth rates, you can spot issues and make changes promptly