Beef

Beef farming is a highly significant agricultural sector in Scotland, it accounts for about a quarter of the total value of agricultural gross output.  

There are over 500,000 breeding beef cows and heifers in Scotland. Beef cattle farming takes place on over 9,500 holdings. Some beef farms have their own breeding cows and produce calves each year, which may then be sold as ‘stores’ at around six to twelve months, or kept until they are ready to be slaughtered. 

Other beef farms may specialise in ‘finishing’ or fattening cattle and will buy in ‘store’ cattle, or unwanted calves from dairy farms. The age at which beef cattle are considered to be finished varies, but is usually between 12-36 months, it is influenced by the type of breed, rearing methods and the animals’ diet. Typically, cattle which graze take longer to finish than those fed on concentrates or cereal based diets.

There are various breeds of beef cattle in Scotland ranging from the traditional breeds of Aberdeen-Angus, Shorthorn and Galloway to the typically larger ‘continental’ breeds of Limousin, Simmental and Charolais. 

There are a number of issues relevant to beef farming, among them:

Poaching and soil erosion on grassland

Poaching can be a problem when cattle are wintered on grassland, particularly around gateways, feeding areas and watering points. This can lead to risks of soil erosion and compaction. Poaching can occur where the land is ‘cut-up’ through cattle moving or tramping on wet soils. This removes the vegetative cover, leaving the soil open to the elements and prone to being washed away via surface water run-off. 

Soil erosion can not only remove fertile top soil and clog up drains etc., but can also lead to water pollution if the sediment is washed into watercourses. Guidance is offered to farmers on how to prevent soil erosion and compaction in the 4 point plan external link, Farm Soils Plan external link and the PEPFAA code external link.

Livestock slurry and farmyard manure

In order to avoid poaching and damage to grassland and to improve productivity, many farmers house their cattle over the winter months. The manure or slurry produced is collected and stored prior to spreading on land as fertiliser. Livestock manures and slurries offer a valuable source of plant nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Taking account of the nutrients applied to land as slurry or manure, and the levels of nutrients already available in the soil, then comparing them with the nutrient needs of the crop, can often result in significant savings on inorganic fertiliser use. Manures can also help increase the organic matter content of soils thereby improving soil structure and fertility.

While slurries can be beneficial for plant growth and soil nutrient levels, they are relatively high in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and can pose significant water pollution risks. Pollution risks can occur at all stages of handling livestock manures and slurries including collection, storage, transportation and land application.

In order to minimise pollution risks from steadings where livestock are housed, any slurry that is produced is required to be collected and contained. Further information is available from the Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (Scotland) Regulations 2003, SSAFO.   

Spreading slurries to land can pose a significant pollution risk if the spreading takes place close to watercourses or when the ground is frozen or water logged. The rate and method of application to land is also very important. There tend to be fewer problems with solid farm yard manures from beef units. Guidance is available to farmers on how to reduce the risks of causing pollution from storing and handling livestock manures and slurries, and can be found in the PEPFAA external link code and the 4 point plan external link.

Silage effluent

Any forage crop that is being made into silage (for feeding cattle) will produce effluent. Silage effluent has a Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of around 65,000 mg/l of oxygen, and is one of the most potentially polluting materials produced on farms. For example, a clamp or silo containing 500 tonnes of unwilted (not dried) silage has a similar polluting potential as the daily untreated sewage output from a city the size of Aberdeen. 

The quantity of effluent depends on the moisture content of the crop being ensiled (stored in a clamp or silo):

  • Grass ensiled at a dry matter content of 10–15% will produce about 360–450 litres of effluent per tonne of grass ensiled.

  • Grass ensiled with a dry matter content of 21–25% will produce up to 90 litres of effluent per tonne.

It is therefore vital that cut grass is wilted for as long as possible, before being stored.

Waste

Agricultural waste can pose significant risks to the environment and human health if not adequately managed. The types and quantities of wastes will vary between farms. Common types of waste produced on farms will typically include materials such as packaging, tyres, oils and silage plastics etc. 

Guidance on minimising waste produced on the farm and further information is available from our agricultural waste guidance.