Page 84 - British Blue 2025 Yearbook

Age at slaughter is an important factor in this finishing
enterprise, not only does it contribute to the profitability
of the system, it’s also a key environmental metric in
carbon footprinting. Equally important is the carcase
weight and conformation and this is where the British Blue
suckler is vital to meet the abattoir specifications. Calves
are creep fed from August onwards and finished more
intensively at a later stage. The aim is to finish the cattle
between 18 - 24 months, achieve a deadweight of around
350-400kg depending on sex and age, and grade out
between a U3 and R3. Fat cattle are processed at Dunbia,
Dungannon and a local arrangement between a
neighbouring dairy farm allows the Morrison’s to share
transportation costs.
The Giant’s Causeway is almost the next stop after the farm
and since peace was restored in the area, tourism has
greatly improved. As a result, the family diversified adding
a self-catering cottage and small caravan park with
camping ground called Charlie’s Hideaway Camping and
Caravaning, to complement the farm business. Son David
also has a growing business of his own, servicing farmers
with crop spraying, seed and semen sales and he
manufactures and sells a bovine oral distraction tool called
Easy BossE, patented by Australian vet Don Finaly. The
device reduces fear and stress in an animal when being
treated, groomed and tagged etc. and increases the safety
for both the animal and the stockman, stimulating the
animal’s chewing behaviour and calming them, so they
are much more docile in the crush. As a bonus oral
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medicine in liquid form can also be administered to the
cattle using this device.
The farm diversification was born from a combination of
opportunity and challenge. Anne said, “at any given time,
farming is very challenging, there are increasing demands
on labour and time, and costs are continuing to rise,” she
added, “Brexit brought uncertainty, covid brought
disruption and the war in Ukraine has had a huge impact,
the latest challenge is bluetongue closing the movement
of stock from the mainland into Northern Ireland”.
Farmers presented with these challenges are being forced
to adapt to the times in which they do business. Beyond
the diversification, the major adaptation for the Morrison
family that has had the greatest impact, was the
modification of their suckler unit to focus on the British
Blue as the maternal centrepiece. Anne said, “the Salers
bulls have introduced hybrid vigour, which we greatly
needed. They produce calves that arrive unassisted, and
they get the cows back in calf quickly, but the British Blue
dams are docile, produce carcasses with lean meat and
tremendous shape that grade out well. Overall, the system
is easier managed and easier kept which is increasingly
important for us as a family.”
The combination of all these factors, equates to a more
enjoyable business and ultimately a more efficient and
profitable business, that consequently ticks the ‘highly
fashionable and trending’ box – sustainability!
By Kind Permission of Sian Sharp