Launched today at UK Dairy Day, the GB Calf Strategy 2025-2030 marks the next chapter for the industry and follows on from the 2020-2023 iteration of the strategy, which was instrumental in delivering significant progress on ensuring every dairy calf is reared with care and has a clear purpose within the supply chain.
Produced in collaboration between AHDB, Innovation for Agriculture, the NFU and RH&W (Ruminant Health and Welfare), the strategy includes industry input from farmers, vets, processors, retailers, and industry bodies collated through a series of workshops.
Since 2014, pure dairy bull calf birth registrations have reduced by 69% and correspondingly, dairy-beef calf registrations have increased by 74%.
As a result, just over half of cattle slaughtered for beef in GB now come from the dairy herd, with 37% of that being prime age cattle.
Read: GB Dairy Calf Strategy progress report shows significant successes
Right calf, right start, right route
To fulfil its overarching goal of rearing every calf with care and purpose, the strategy is split into three pillars:
· Right Calf – led by AHDB
· Right Start – led by Innovation for Agriculture
· Right Route – led by the NFU
The strategy will feed into the Ruminant Health and Welfare Group which brings industry and governments from the four UK nations together.
Each pillar will have its own working group made up of industry stakeholders and will be accountable against a set of Key Performance Indicators.
· Read more about the three pillars.
· See the strategy in full at: RHWG | GB Calf Strategy 2025-2030
Strong dairy-beef relationships
NFU Cymru Dairy Board Chair Jonathan Wilkinson and Livestock Board Chair Rob Lewis welcomed the strategy and stressed the need for continued collaboration between the two sectors.
Rob said “Continuing our close working relationship with the dairy sector will result in strong, healthy, well-bred calves with good genetics being produced for the beef supply chain. This will help ensure we can keep supplying high-quality and nutritious PGI Welsh beef to both domestic and international markets.
Jonathan added: “As we move the GB Calf Strategy on to the next phase, it is important dairy farmers continue to have the support and knowledge they need to enable their farm businesses to be progressive, productive and profitable. A close working relationship with the beef sector is vital to achieving this, as is continued collaboration between industry and government to deliver meaningful changes to TB policy that increases access for TB restricted calves into bio-secure routes to market.”