Livestock feeding regimes and breeding practices
Updated 10 May 2024
Applies to England
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Cattle and sheep breeding practices can contribute to herd and flock productivity and efficiency which in turn can reduce GHG emissions. In addition to playing an important role in productivity and efficiency, livestock feeding practices such as intake and type of feed, can have an impact on GHG emissions.
Figure 1 Proportion of holdings using a ration formulation program or expert nutritional advice when planning livestock feeding regimes
| Year | Always | Most of the time | Some of the time | Rarely | Never | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 21% | 13% | 19% | 18% | 29% | 100% |
| 2020 | 20% | 15% | 18% | 18% | 29% | 100% |
| 2021 | 22% | 14% | 17% | 15% | 31% | 100% |
| 2022 | 17% | 13% | 20% | 16% | 33% | 100% |
| 2023 | 20% | 19% | 16% | 16% | 29% | 100% |
In 2023, 71% of livestock holdings used a ration formulation programme or nutritional advice when planning the feeding regime of their cattle and sheep, with 55% of holdings doing so at least some of the time. This has consistently been the case for the last five years.
Figure 2 Proportion of holdings offering alternative forage crops to cattle and sheep
| Type of alternative forage crop | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Triticale | 1% |
| Lucerne | 3% |
| Red Clover | 8% |
| Maize | 9% |
| Whole-crop silage | 14% |
| Any of these | 26% |
| None of these | 74% |
Most livestock holdings don’t offer alternative forage crops to cattle or sheep. Of the 26% that do, the most common of these forage crops were whole-crop silage and maize. This figure varies depending on farm type, with dairy farmers most likely to offer their livestock alternative forages. See dataset for more results by farm type.
A Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) is a scoring system to identify cattle with the best ‘genetic merit’ used when choosing bulls to breed with dairy cattle. The PLI uses a combination of attributes including life expectancy, health, fertility and milk production.
Figure 3 Proportion of commercial dairy holdings using bulls with a high PLI when breeding dairy cows by frequency of use
| Year | Always | Most of the time | Some of the time | Rarely | Never | Not applicable | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 33% | 29% | 18% | 5% | 15% | 0% | 100% |
| 2020 | 40% | 26% | 16% | 6% | 13% | 0% | 100% |
| 2021 | 44% | 21% | 18% | 5% | 13% | 0% | 100% |
| 2022 | 49% | 17% | 17% | 7% | 7% | 2% | 100% |
| 2023 | 44% | 24% | 15% | 4% | 5% | 8% | 100% |
(a) ‘Not applicable’ option added in 2022 and may previously have been included in the ‘never’ option for earlier years.
In 2023, 44% of commercial dairy holdings always used bulls with a high Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) when breeding dairy cows. This was a decrease from 49% in 2022, but still in line with recent years (Figure 3).
By using the June survey results sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS), we can also give an indication of the proportion of dairy cattle that are covered by this practice. In 2023, the commercial dairy holdings using bulls with high PLIs at least some of the time accounted for 90% of the dairy cattle on those holdings at June 2022.
Figure 4 Proportion of holdings using bulls with high EBVs when breeding beef cattle by frequency of use
| Year | Always | Most of the time | Some of the time | Rarely | Never | Not Applicable | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 19% | 14% | 15% | 7% | 45% | 0% | 100% |
| 2020 | 18% | 17% | 12% | 8% | 45% | 0% | 100% |
| 2021 | 16% | 13% | 14% | 5% | 53% | 0% | 100% |
| 2022 | 18% | 14% | 14% | 5% | 24% | 25% | 100% |
| 2023 | 15% | 10% | 8% | 6% | 27% | 35% | 100% |
(a) ‘Not applicable’ option added in 2022 and may previously have been included in the ‘never’ option for earlier years.
Estimated Breeding Values (EBV) estimate the genetic worth of animals using desirable traits such as meat production. In 2023, just under a third (32%) of livestock holdings used bulls with a high EBV at least some of the time when breeding beef cattle (Figure 4) and over a third (36%) used rams with a high EBV at least some of the time when breeding lambs (Figure 5).
Figure 5 Proportion of holdings using rams with high EBVs when breeding lambs by frequency of use
| Year | Always | Most of the time | Some of the time | Rarely | Never | Not Applicable | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 10% | 11% | 19% | 12% | 49% | 0% | 100% |
| 2020 | 8% | 11% | 18% | 15% | 48% | 0% | 100% |
| 2021 | 11% | 15% | 22% | 12% | 40% | 0% | 100% |
| 2022 | 12% | 12% | 19% | 13% | 38% | 7% | 100% |
| 2023 | 11% | 11% | 15% | 14% | 35% | 15% | 100% |
(a) ‘Not applicable’ option added in 2022 and may previously have been included in the ‘never’ option for earlier years.