IN AN effort to find a more socially acceptable market for dairy calves and increase beef production with an existing underutilised resource, work is being down across the industry to develop a sophisticated dairy beef supply chain in Australia.

One dairy beef advocate, Gilbert Peckett has been working in this field for three years.

Having previously worked in the processing industry with a focus on finding value for all parts of the carcass, Mr Peckett has helped connect producers and processors to support the development of dairy beef in Australia.

“We are working with Semex who are doing a lot of genetic research with Angus genetics at the moment because it has to work for the dairy herd, but it also has to work from a carcass perspective as well,” Mr Peckett said.

“Holsteins and Jerseys have incredible marbling qualities already, so you are just enhancing it.

“With a Holstein they have a nice big frame so there is plenty of area to hang the meat on and by putting that bit of beef in them they really bulk.

“They perform really well, we get them to a feedlot entry weight, and then short feed them before processing.”

More socially acceptable path for bobby calves

A big driver behind the development of dairy beef is to find a socially acceptable market for the surplus calves in the dairy industry.

In its ten-year strategy Dairy Australia has a goal to end on-farm euthanasia of bobby calves by 2035.

Dairy beef advocate, Gilbert Peckett.

“No one likes the idea of the bobby calf market or euthanasia on farm so if we could grow them out and offer an alternative solution it suits the dairy industry, the beef industry and it also suits the end consumer,” Mr Peckett said.

A recent report by Rabobank highlighted the benefits of developing a dairy beef sector from improving animal welfare, reducing waste, increasing beef production and lifting the value of calves that are already on the ground.

Dairy beef is not a new concept with other countries around the world having full supply chains developed around the industry.

“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding in Australia, when most people think of dairy beef, they think of a cull dairy cow, but that is not comparable to a good finished dairy steer,” Mr Peckett said.

“The meat quality is fantastic, and it is already done very well overseas.

“If you put one of these Angus cross dairy steers in the cold room next to all the straight beef ones, once they have their coats off you would not be able to pick the difference.”

Mr Peckett said there has been a lot of work done on early nutrition for dairy calves to improve their start to life.

“The quality of colostrum for calves is closely monitored, so calves are now getting the best possible start and there are a lot of probiotic supplements and all sorts that these (dairy) calves receive so they are probably more dialled in with their health and nutrition than calves in a paddock,” he said.

“Because these animals have been handled twice a day since birth – they are also very quiet and not stressed by human involvement, so that helps the meat quality.”

Mr Peckett is working with Farmers Choice Meats to process and market the dairy beef which he hopes will attract consumers because of its social licence credentials.

“I think our best entry for the domestic market in the short term will be to market it as an Angus dairy cross and grow from there and I would love to see straight dairy in years to come,” he said.