SUCKLED calf producers are seizing the opportunity to gain low maintenance, functional replacements as a Yorkshire initiative gains momentum.

The Beef Improvement Group's Stabiliser crossbreed venture is on track to supply 10pc of suckler herd replacements within the next decade. Plans are also under way to establish a commercial producer group offering a consistently high quality product to retailers.

The news was given at last week's BIG open day at JSR Farms' Givendale unit, near Pocklington, York.

"Numerically, the Stabiliser is already the UK's fifth largest Signet recorded beef breed, and it has real potential as a damline in the commercial sector, post- MTR," said Nick Baker, chairman and director of BIG.

"Beef producers operating in a world without direct support will seek to run easy care, productive cows to improve their efficiency and rear consistent high quality calves.

"Already the Stabiliser, a composite of four pure beef breeds - Gelbvieh, Hereford, Red Angus and Simmental - is demonstrating it can deliver reductions in production costs and big savings to farmers breeding their own replacements using Stabiliser bulls or semen."

Mr Baker reported that his own herd of Stabiliser cows at Bainton Heights, near Driffield, had a gestation averaging 282 days. Calves were averaging 35kg birthweight and were easily born and lively. The heifers were proving very fertile, calving at two years and reaching a mature body weight of 650kg on average.

"Stabiliser cows milk well, with bull calves averaging 330kg at weaning and heifers 280kg, without creep feed," said Mr Baker. "The cows are proving to have low maintenance requirements and the ability to dramatically improve body condition on grass-based systems.

"They're docile, easy care cows and we expect them to demonstrate real longevity and rear an average nine calves. Furthermore, purebred Stabiliser bulls, culls from the BIG programme, went on to finish at an average 618kg in 14 months, at 55pc killing out and 93pc grading within the U+ 4L bracket.

The BIG initiative was established by JSR Farms' Richard Fuller and three fellow Yorkshire beef producers, Nick Baker; the Birdsall Beef Company of Birdsall, Malton, and Robert Rook of Market Weighton.

BIG is a business designed to accelerate the multiplication and marketing of Stabiliser genetics, provide adequate returns and enhance competitiveness within the beef industry.

"Since BIG imported the first Stabiliser embryos from the US in 1998, the venture has extended to involve more than 13,000 commercial suckler cows in herds throughout the UK," said Richard Fuller.

BIG had expanded to a core of 25 multipliers appointed to breed pure Stabilisers using imported embryos and those collected from UK-bred cows. A further 60 farmers were using AI or bulls to grade up existing suckler cows to produce their own crossbred replacement heifers.

"Underpinning this expansion is a solid genetic evaluation programme that requires all multipliers to collect performance data and identify the best sires and dams," said Mr Fuller.

Signet has recently completed the second BLUP run with 5,254 evaluations taking in more than 3,400 Stabiliser-bred animals.

BIG was also a partner in the MLC/Defra/SEERAD-funded suckler cow replacement strategy research project which helped to define maternal trait Estimated Breeding Values.

It is involved in the recently-launched BREEDS software programme and the BREEDS analysis for JSR Farms' Givendale herd indicates that, by establishing a pure Stabiliser herd of 150 cows, net income will improve by £9,300 a year over the current Limousin X Holsteins.

In addition, BIG is launching a field-scale commercial trial using the Charolais as a terminal sire to demonstrate the Stabiliser as a functional suckler cow, producing calves which can be finished on low-cost forage diets to produce good conformation carcases which meet market requirements for improved eating quality.

"Post-MTR, suckler beef producers need to consider their choice of damline even more carefully if they're to run cost-effective systems requiring less labour," said Dr Duncan Pullar of the Meat and Livestock Commission. "The Stabiliser is a useful example of one damline that could fit the bill."

It brought together a full complement of maternal traits with the additional value of hybrid vigour and the BIG venture was matching suckler cows to their right feed environment which was crucial for success.

"The fact BIG is selecting its cattle reared in UK conditions means the best performers will be selected for the breeding programme," said Dr Pullar. "For farmers who plan to continue to buy in their own replacements, BIG is ensuring a volume of Stabilisers will be available shortl. Larger scale operators considering breeding their own can consider carrying a Stabiliser bull."

Richard Fuller said "As the BIG initiative gains momentum and numbers build, we plan to help finishers secure a market for Stabiliser beef by establishing a producer group to supply a volume of added value product."