Cuts of beef for cattle produced from the suckler herd “aren’t really a feature of the trade anymore,” according to Bord Bia’s beef and cattle sector manager, Joe Burke.
He speaks at a panel discussion at Teagasc BEEF2026 Open Daypanel chair Sean Doorley, a Teagasc beef and sheep consultant, asked Bord Bia’s beef and cattle sector director whether beef from lactation farms is marketed differently to beef from a dairy herd.
“The short answer is really — not particularly,” Burke explained.
However, it also highlighted the important role that suckler beef still plays in the Irish beef industry.
“Beef from the suckler herd is really important, very good for our image, and very good in terms of the reputation we have built for Irish beef over many decades,” Burke said.
“But now when beef comes into the deboning hall and is deboned, you mostly export the beef in vacuum-packed cuts.
“Historically, the suckler beef market has tended to export hindquarters in the form of Pistola hindquarters, U-grade flanks, and U-grade baby hindquarters, and that is not a feature of the trade anymore.”
According to Burke, in the past, there has been particularly strong demand from the Italian market and a few other markets “for these animals of superior appearance.”
He acknowledged that cattle raised on breastfeeding, in particular, those grade “U” cattle, “will have a higher meat yield.”
“They will have a superior classification file, so you will get a small percentage of the meat cuts from your carcass from the Boning Hall.
“But in general, once you have animals with an ‘O=’ and ‘O+’ shape and a suitable carcass weight – generally, 280-400kg carcass weight – the cuts of those animals are suitable for the vast majority of our retail customers and the major buyers of our premium catering as well.”
Burke emphasized that in current beef markets, there is no clear distinction between beef and suckler herd.
“It doesn’t necessarily go to different market niches, but it’s actually not sold separately to specific outlets and channels,” he added.
Further details of the research presented at BEEF2026 on this topic and a wide range of other topics related to beef production are available at Agriland‘s BEEF2026 Knowledge Center.
