Award-winning Twenty20 Beef Club enhances pricing structure

In addition, the weight bands for eligible cattle have been significantly widened to offer more farmers the opportunity to take part in the sustainable programme that offers Club Members access to valuable market outlets.

Members will benefit from a new weight range of 260-400kg, market-leading breed bonuses for Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, as well as a new Continental breed bonus. The enhancements are expected to earn Club Members an average of €100 to €200 above the market price. The payments are linked to the investment farmers are making in improved genetics in beef breeding and producing in-spec cattle.

The pioneering and award-winning supplier programme, a collaboration between Tirlán and Kepak Group, has been growing year on year and rewards farmers for adhering to specific production protocols. Also included in the new bonus payments is an increased Tirlán input bonus of 10c/kg (up from 5c/kg) for purchasing inputs as part of the fully traceable supply chain system.

For Club Members, Seán Molloy, Tirlán’s Chief Ingredients & Agri Officer, said: “The significant enhancements applied to the Twenty20 Beef Club are a positive endorsement of the success of this club and will ensure it continues to grow and provide value to Tirlán farms.

“This Club is anchored in the market, leveraging technology and science as well as world-leading environmental standards. It continues to provide a premium market for a premium product with world-leading welfare, traceability, and provenance standards. The increase in the Tirlán input bonus to 10c/kg is a clear indication of our commitment to this sustainable production model.”

O’Dowd, Kepak Head of Agribusiness, said: “Kepak and Tirlán’s technical teams work with suppliers to ensure excellent performance and efficiencies are achieved. The Twenty20 Beef Club is grounded in providing greater financial certainty to farmers for producing beef more sustainably.

“This Club clearly shows that collaboration across the beef and dairy industry is not only beneficial to the farmer but is also supported by the end customer for the economic and environmental value it creates at farm level.”

The programme is now open for new members up to the end of June 2023 and is also now open to farmers producing young bulls. Club members continue to deliver a 20+% reduction in their carbon footprint from best farming practice and it remains a valuable market outlet for its co-op members’ dairy and beef calves.

The enhancements to the collaborative and pioneering Twenty20 Beef Club take immediate effect for all Members.

Summary of enhanced benefits:

• Twenty20 Club bonus increases to 30c/kg – including the Tirlán bonus of 10c/kg;
• Hereford Breed bonus increased from 10c-20c/kg. This is in addition to the 30c/kg bonus;
• New Continental breed bonus 10c/kg;
• Increase carcass weight range from 260-400kg;
• Young Bulls U19 months now qualify for 25c/kg T20 bonus;
• Cow bonus increase from 10c to 15c/kg;

Focus on Sustainability

The ‘Twenty20 Beef Club’ was set up in April 2019 and the farmer-centric partnership approach, price certainty and economic sustainability have made it an increasingly popular option for farm families, offering them a transparent pricing model with two year visibility.

The Twenty20 Beef Club is open to Tirlán Co-op Members and current Kepak suppliers. Members can be either dairy farmers or beef finishers, with a minimum of 25 calves required per farm.

Members enjoy rewards for adhering to Production and Quality protocols and are provided with a production blueprint to reduce costs. Calf sourcing can be facilitated through the Club’s buy/sell digital platform and the closed loop production programme means everything is fully traceable.

The programme is rooted in a preventative approach to animal health and includes production protocols covering nutrition, health, welfare and delivering a significant reduction in carbon footprint from beef production.

Enrolment of Cattle for slaughtering next year and beyond begins immediately and interest should be directed as soon as possible to company representatives.

The Twenty20 Beef Club won a coveted European Award for Cooperative Innovation in the international competition organised by Cogeca in June 2021. It was shortlisted under the ’Economic Value Creation’ category. The international judging panel, who assessed over 100 entries from across Europe, singled out the Twenty20 Beef Club’s proven credentials and said it represents “an outstanding innovation that creates valuable impact in the value chain”.