Sustainability of ruminant livestock production in Ireland

O’Mara, F.P.; Richards, Karl G.; Shalloo, L.; Donnellan, Trevor; Finn, John A.; Lanigan, Gary

doi:10.1093/af/vfab037

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…These bio-fertilizers, on further regeneration and recycling, can be distributed as cattle feed and is indeed a cyclic process. On considering the eco-sustainable parameters involved in a family farm, O" Mara et al, (2021) reflected on the reliability of grazed and conserved forage embedded with "soil organic carbon content, feed self-sufficiency (including protein), amount of human-edible food in the diet, GHG emissions per kilogram of product (GHG intensity, defined as kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of milk or meat), and landscape diversity" in cultivating pasture-rich dairy foods and meat products. Thus, it enables the researcher to acquire a material ecocritical perspective in unravelling the potential benefits of manure recycling with respect to modern agribusiness.…”

Section: Materials Ecological Aestheticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is situated in County Longford of North-Central Ireland. O"Mara et al, (2021) emphasized the efficient management of Irish ruminant livestock by providing an organic animal diet (grass-based grazing), maintaining accurate levels of stocking rate, adequate availability of freshwater, periodical cleaning and bedding of cattle to avoid the penetration of harmful infectious agents or any other microbes; these conventional benchmarks as suggested by O"Mara et al, (2021) moulds the biodiversity of Irish farmland as a whole. In coping up with contemporary livestock biotechnology, the author is more empirical in implementing animal genomic selection (to achieve a "five-star" herd), feeding automation (feeders used along with tractors), artificial insemination (through which the purebred is produced), etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Livestock Management, Masculine Care and Cognitive Ecology: An Ecomasculine Approach to John Connell’s The Farmer’s Son

Radhakrishnan

2023

WJEL

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Ecological masculinism has been considered as a parallel movement to ecofeminism. It intends to investigate the role played by men in spatially coexisting with nature. Furthermore, it meditates on envisioning how men belonging to various categorical masculinities, nurture the natural environment in augmenting atmospheric stability. As a domain, ecological masculinism eschews the hegemonic approach towards nature by establishing a symbiotic relationship with biotic and abiotic components in an ecosystem. In compliance with the literary sphere, this movement embodies certain malestream norms which appeal to ecological specifications such as the insightful practice of Earthcare, ensuring ecological integrity, and regenerating natural resources. This paper examines John Connell’s The Farmer’s Son: Calving Season on a Family Farm (2019), an eco-autobiographical memoir as a frame of reference to spotlight certain eco-masculine intertextualities such as animal husbandry, glocal sustainability and psycho-cognitive objectives. This paper employs the theoretical frameworks of Karla Elliott’s Caring Masculinities and Susan Signe Morrison’s Waste-ern Tradition in mapping the eco-masculine praxis embedded in the prototypic conceptualisation of ‘eco-man’s husbandry’, through the rational quotients of livestock management, masculine care and cognitive ecology.

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Section: Materials Ecological Aestheticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock Management, Masculine Care and Cognitive Ecology: An Ecomasculine Approach to John Connell’s The Farmer’s Son

Radhakrishnan

2023

WJEL

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“…With over 80% of the agricultural land in Ireland being grassland [9], the grass-based nature of livestock production in the country offers positive environmental opportunities in terms of manure recycling, the integration of livestock and crops for feed, low feed-food competition, biodiversity, soil quality and organic carbon content [10]. Grass, a relatively cheap but abundant feed source, also gives Irish dairy farmers a competitive edge in terms of lower costs and higher profits [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Business Case for Climate Neutrality in Pasture-Based Dairy Production Systems in Ireland: Evidence from Farm Zero C

Rubhara,

Gaffey,

Hunt

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Agriculture in Ireland is responsible for producing and exporting healthy, nutritional food pivotal for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as global food security, economic development and sustainable communities. However, the agricultural sector, dominated by a large bovine population, faces the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The objective of the current study was to model the environmental and economic impact of simultaneously applying farm-level climate change mitigation strategies for a conventional grass-based dairy farm in Ireland. An average farm of 52 ha with a spring-calving herd of 93 was used as a reference scenario to create a business case. Partial budgeting was used to calculate the annual net benefit. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to model the reduction in GHG emissions, which was expressed as kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilogram of fat- and protein-corrected milk (kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM). The baseline for average emissions was 0.960 kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM. An average farm would reduce its annual emissions by 12% to 0.847 kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM in Scenario 1, where climate change mitigation strategies were applied on a minimal scale. For Scenario 2, the emissions are reduced by 36% to 0.614 kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM. In terms of annual savings on cash income, an increase of EUR 6634 and EUR 18,045 in net savings for the farm are realised in Scenarios 1 and 2, respectively. The business case provides evidence that farms can move towards climate neutrality while still remaining economically sustainable.

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“…Spring calving dairy herds are managed to synchronize the highest demand for feed (peak lactation) with the highest availability of grazed grass ( 33 ). This production system allows for farms to maintain higher levels of profitability due to the lower production costs of grass ( 34 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of respiratory disease in Irish preweaned dairy calves using hierarchical Bayesian latent class analysis

2023

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IntroductionBovine respiratory disease (BRD) has a significant impact on the health and welfare of dairy calves. It can result in increased antimicrobial usage, decreased growth rate and reduced future productivity. There is no gold standard antemortem diagnostic test for BRD in calves and no estimates of the prevalence of respiratory disease in seasonal calving dairy herds.MethodsTo estimate BRD prevalence in seasonal calving dairy herds in Ireland, 40 dairy farms were recruited and each farm was visited once during one of two calving seasons (spring 2020 & spring 2021). At that visit the prevalence of BRD in 20 calves between 4 and 6 weeks of age was determined using thoracic ultrasound score (≥3) and the Wisconsin respiratory scoring system (≥5). Hierarchical Bayesian latent class analysis was used to estimate the calf-level true prevalence of BRD, and the within-herd prevalence distribution, accounting for the imperfect nature of both diagnostic tests.ResultsIn total, 787 calves were examined, of which 58 (7.4%) had BRD as defined by a Wisconsin respiratory score ≥5 only, 37 (4.7%) had BRD as defined by a thoracic ultrasound score of ≥3 only and 14 (1.8%) calves had BRD based on both thoracic ultrasound and clinical scoring. The primary model assumed both tests were independent and used informed priors for test characteristics. Using this model the true prevalence of BRD was estimated as 4%, 95% Bayesian credible interval (BCI) (1%, 8%). This prevalence estimate is lower or similar to those found in other dairy production systems. Median within herd prevalence varied from 0 to 22%. The prevalence estimate was not sensitive to whether the model was constructed with the tests considered conditionally dependent or independent. When the case definition for thoracic ultrasound was changed to a score ≥2, the prevalence estimate increased to 15% (95% BCI: 6%, 27%).DiscussionThe prevalence of calf respiratory disease, however defined, was low, but highly variable, in these seasonal calving dairy herds.

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Sustainability of ruminant livestock production in Ireland

Cited by 10 publications

References 25 publications

Livestock Management, Masculine Care and Cognitive Ecology: An Ecomasculine Approach to John Connell’s The Farmer’s Son

Livestock Management, Masculine Care and Cognitive Ecology: An Ecomasculine Approach to John Connell’s The Farmer’s Son

A Business Case for Climate Neutrality in Pasture-Based Dairy Production Systems in Ireland: Evidence from Farm Zero C

Prevalence of respiratory disease in Irish preweaned dairy calves using hierarchical Bayesian latent class analysis

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