milk production from forage (or grazed forage) in recent years. Given the low levels of profitability noted earlier, the lack of progress in increasing production from one of the cheapest feed sources available on most farms is surprising. Furthermore, analysis of both Promar Milkminder and Kingshay farm costing data indicates that currently milk production from forage is around 2500 litres/cow, which contrasts to values in excess of 4000 litres/cow which is being achieved on some farms. Analysis of data from the AFBI Hillsborough Feed Information


Service (HFIS), which has used the Feed-into-Milk feed rationing model since 1996, indicates little change in the feeding value of silage produced on farms in Northern Ireland over the last two decades (Yan, 2017). On average, the dry matter content of first cut silages increased from 220 g/kg to 270 g/kg over this period, and this was associated with improved silage fermentation characteristics (reduced ammonia and volatile fatty acid concentrations). However, there was no significant improvement in digestibility or predicted feeding value over the twenty year period, with milk-from-forage averaging only seven litres/cow/day. Similarly in relation to grazed grass, which remains the cheapest


feed available on the majority of UK dairy farms, little progress has been achieved in increasing production from pasture, other than on a small number of intensive, grass-based systems. This is despite the fact that research conducted in 2000 (Sayers et al, 2003) demonstrated that well managed grazing, with appropriate concentrate supplementation, could support milk yields in excess of 30 litres/day throughout the grazing season. The lack of progress in increasing production from forage within


the UK dairy industry is of major concern, particularly in the context of increased reliance on cereal grains and imported protein feeds. The use of cereal grains as a feed for livestock is coming under increasing scrutiny, given the need to meet the food demands of an increasing global population. There is a need for a fundamental change in attitude to forage crop production on dairy farms to recognise the full cost and value of home grown forage. Key aspects which need to change include: • Fundamental refocus of grass breeding systems to prioritise animal feeding value in place of a yield dominated approach. • Refocus on soil and crop management to maximise grass quality.


• Development of harvesting and grazing systems to maximise production from forage. Whilst forage maize will continue to have an important role in UK


dairy production, alternative forages such as lucerne and red clover will have an increasing role. Further consideration also needs to be given to the potential for greater reliance on by-product feeds as a means of reducing reliance on cereal grains and imported protein feeds.


Key Challenges and Future Trends in UK Dairying One of the major challenges for the UK Dairy Industry is international competitiveness, particularly given the potential for increased global access to the UK food market post Brexit. Of particular concern is the wide range in technical efficiency at farm level, while the longer term


PAGE 46 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 FEED COMPOUNDER


financial viability of the lower quartile of farms, as classified on the basis of feed, labour and/or capital efficiency, must be questioned. The UK dairy industry does however have excellent standards in


animal welfare, product quality and a range of sustainability attributes. Given the increasing consumer interest in these areas, these must be maintained and enhanced.


UK Dairy Environmental Footprint: One of the major challenges facing the UK dairy industry is the need to minimise the environmental impact of milk production systems. In particular, impacts on water (nitrate and phosphorous) and air quality (greenhouse gases and ammonia) will come under increasing scrutiny. One of the opportunities which may develop post Brexit is the potential to develop a new UK agricultural policy which is evidence-based and tailored to specific local and regional conditions. A key component of this approach is the need for much better national metrics to define a range of sustainability parameters including assessments of water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare, greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions. It is essential that assessments of water quality and greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions are based on emission intensity per unit of production, to avoid production transfers to systems/regions with much higher emission intensity. A key component of new agricultural policies should be the


recognition that efficient farming systems also deliver significant environmental benefits. For example, analysis of dairy production benchmarking data in Northern Ireland (CAFRE, 2016) clearly indicates that the most efficient farms, on the basis of milk output/ concentrate input, have significantly lower phosphorous surpluses/ha (3.6-9.0 kg surplus P/ ha) relative to the least efficient (12.6-17.9 kg surplus P/ha).


Dairy Cow Genetics: Selection indices for dairy cows within the UK have changed fundamentally over the last three decades with emphasis on production traits reducing from 100% in 1990 (the original PIN (profit) Index) to 32% in 2017 (Profitable Life Time Index + mastitis). The current selection index is largely based on ‘non-production’ traits, and includes type traits, lifespan, somatic cell count, locomotion, fertility index, udder traits, maintenance cost and mastitis. The adoption of this more broadly based index has resulted in the reversal of a number of negative trends at national level. For example, dairy cow lifespan is now increasing, whereas milk somatic cell count is reducing. New advances in genetics such as genomic selection open up new opportunities for progress in other traits, for example disease resistance, but real progress requires accurate phenotypic databases with carefully co-ordinated national databases. Animal Health: Bovine TB remains a major issue in many parts of the UK and control/eradication strategies have proved particularly challenging for this complex disease. However, new developments such as selection for resistance to TB infection (TB advantage) and the introduction of large scale badger vaccination strategies offer potential to address the problem. This would enable much more attention on some of the key endemic diseases (BVD, IBR and Johnes) as well as addressing the increasing challenge of antimicrobial resistance. For the future, there is


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