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Jennifer Abbott

Project Title: Novel nutritional management strategies to optimize the economic and environmental sustainability of pasture based dairy calf to beef production systems in Ireland

Overview: Jenny is researching nutritional interventions for developing more environmentally and economically sustainable grass-based dairy calf-to-beef systems with increased animal welfare. Increasing numbers of dairy bred claves are available for beef production due to dairy herd expansion since the abolition of milk quotas in 2014. With rising concern for animal welfare particularly the transport of young animals, there is a need for developing national economically viable dairy calf to beef systems. Currently failure to growth targets, causing older animals at slaughter has considerable impacts on economic and environmental efficiencies within diary-beef production systems. Examining nutritional interventions in early life, at pasture and in the finishing stage will aid in understanding the mechanisms behind growth inefficiencies and thus methods of optimising systems. Jenny is ultimately studying animal nutrition to improve farm profitability and reduce environmental emissions from dairy-beef systems. Jenny has a background in Animal Science and is gaining experience in animal nutrition and growth mechanisms.

Programme Area: Animal and Bioscience

Supervisors: Prof David Kenny, Dr Alan Kelly

Location: Teagasc, Grange

Funding Source: Teagasc