Industry unites behind a five-year plan to ensure every calf is reared with care, value and purpose, strengthening dairy-beef integration.
The UK dairy industry has welcomed the launch of the GB Calf Strategy 2025–2030, a collaborative plan aimed at ensuring that every calf born is raised with care, value and a clear purpose. Developed by AHDB, Innovation for Agriculture, the NFU, and Ruminant Health and Welfare (RH&W), the strategy focuses on three pillars: better breeding choices (“The Right Calf”), best practices in rearing management (“The Right Start”), and secure market routes (“The Right Route”).
This new framework builds on the progress made since the 2020–2023 calf strategy, which was shaped by input from 45 farmers, vets, processors, retailers, and industry bodies. According to RH&W chairman Gwyn Jones, the sector has seen substantial change since 2020, making this renewed five-year plan a timely and essential step forward for both the dairy and beef industries.
Data underscores the strategy’s urgency and success: since 2014, dairy beef calf registrations have grown by 74%, with dairy beef accounting for 37% of prime-age cattle slaughtered in 2024. Jones said this trend reflects a strong commitment to rearing calves with purpose, embedding them into integrated and sustainable supply chains.
Animal health and genetics are central to the strategy’s goals. Sarah Tomlinson, AHDB’s lead veterinary science expert, emphasized that calves with the right genetics, start, and route are critical to building thriving, high-welfare beef and dairy industries. This approach aligns with broader sustainability and welfare ambitions while maximizing the sector’s productivity.
Industry leaders also stressed the importance of continued support. NFU dairy board chairman Paul Tompkins highlighted that farmers need sustained access to knowledge and resources to remain sustainable and profitable. He called for closer collaboration between the dairy and beef sectors, as well as with government and stakeholders, to resolve challenges such as TB policy and to secure biosecure market routes for restricted calves.
Source: Farmers Weekly – Read the full article here
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