Combining beef cattle and sheep in an organic system. I. Co-benefits for promoting the production of grass-fed meat and strengthening self-sufficiency

• Published in: Animal (Cambridge, England) England), 2023-04, Vol.17 (4), p.100758-100758, Article 100758
• Main Authors: Prache, Sophie, Vazeille, Karine, Chaya, Weaam, Sepchat, Bernard, Note, Priscilla, Sallé, Guillaume, Veysset, Patrick, Benoît, Marc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Feed - analysis; Animal Husbandry; Animals; Anthelmintics; Cattle; Crossbreeding; Diet - veterinary; Dietary Supplements; Diversity; External inputs; Female; Life Sciences; Meat; Mixed system; Sheep; System efficiency; Weight Gain
• ISSN: 1751-7311; 1751-732X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.100758

•A comprehensive assessment of combining cattle and sheep at system level is lacking.•We compared a beef cattle-only, a sheep-only and a mixed system with both species.•Combining cattle and sheep promoted self-sufficient grass-fed meat production in sheep.•It promoted better female body condition and BW at key periods of the cycle.•We identified interactions and knock-on effects between periods and groups of animals. Numerous advantages of combining cattle and sheep have been demonstrated at the grazing-season level, but the effects of this practice on system self-sufficiency require system-level and longer-term studies. We established three grassland-based organic systems as separate farmlets: one mixed system combining beef cattle and sheep (MIX) and two specialised systems, beef cattle (CAT) and sheep (SH), to serve as reference points. These farmlets were managed for 4 years, to assess the benefits of combining beef cattle and sheep in promoting the production of grass-fed meat and strengthening system self-sufficiency. The ratio of cattle to sheep livestock units in MIX was 60:40. The surface area and stocking rate were similar across all systems. Calving and lambing were adjusted to grass growth to optimise grazing. Calves were pasture-fed from 3 months old on average until weaning in October, fattened indoors with haylage and slaughtered at 12–15 months. Lambs were pasture-fed from 1 month old on average until slaughter; if lambs were not ready for slaughter when the ewes mated, they were stall-finished with concentrates. The decision to supplement adult females with concentrate was based on the achievement of a target body condition score (BCS) at key periods. The decision to treat animals with anthelmintics was based on mean faecal egg excretion remaining below a certain threshold. A higher proportion of lambs were pasture-finished in MIX vs SH (P