Within 12 months of its launch, a producer group and a total of 11 multiplier Stabiliser herds have been establised to generate a pool of breeding stock. Within these herds, approximately 1,000 cows were mated to Stabiliser bulls during 2006. More than 150 farmers have registered an interest in the project. In addition, three Focus Farms have been established.

The Project’s activities for the next 12 months include a series of Focus Farm open days, together with the launch of a fourth Focus Farm and a beef branding initiative to enable farmers using Stabiliser genetics to add value.

“The Northwest Stabiliser Project which has a projected return of £10.8m to the industry over 10 years, is offering opportunities for all beef farmers located in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The initiative is designed to enable them to introduce the Stabiliser as a catalyst to improve the breeding efficiency of their suckler cows and the meat quality of the progeny to subsequently enhance the competitiveness of their suckler herds,” explains project board director, Richard Fuller.

“The farmers who have expressed interest so far have one thing in common, they are all seeking the opportunity to reduce production costs and improve the output value of their suckler enterprises, and the Stabiliser will provide them with a proven solution,” he says. “The Stabiliser concept is delivering cost savings worth an approximate £120 per cow per year based on the MLC average recorded performance for 2004.”

The Stabliser is a composite damline imported eight years ago by the Stabiliser Cattle Company from the USA where it was developed to deliver consistent high eating quality beef produced for least cost per kilo in subsidy free systems. A total of 9,650 cows were recorded to have been mated to Stabiliser bulls in the UK in 2006, a figure up 52% on the previous year.

Source: Stackyard