Characterization of intensive beef production system of North East Italy

Young bulls and beef heifers are the main cattle categories of the Italian production of beef meat, accounting for over 70% of domestic cattle meat supply. The majority of this production is achieved in intensive farms located in the Po Valley, specialized in fattening of young animals imported from other European countries (mainly France). Animals are reared in pens and fed total mixed rations based on maize silage and concentrates. Although beef production in north Italy can be considered as distinguishing within European beef production scenario, benchmarks concerning performance and feeding traits are still scarcely known. On the basis of results from a survey on fattening units located in Veneto region (north east Italy), this study aimed to provide reference values on main productive characteristics of intensive young bulls production system of north Italy. Data were collected in 17 herds and included information on growth performance and diets characteristics such as ingredients and chemical composition. The reference unit of the survey was a farm batch, intended as a group of young bulls homogeneous for genotype, fattening period and diets. The final database included 237 batches with an average size of 67 young bulls. Productive data and diet composition were analyzed using ANOVA with farm and breed as fixed effects. Average weight at starting and finishing fattening period was 370 and 669 kg, respectively, average length of fattening period was 232 d and average daily gain was 1.31 kg/d. Diets were based on a common base of maize silage and soybean meal; CP, starch and NDF of the diets averaged 14.3%, 32.7% and 32.5%, respectively. Farm and genotype effects were significant sources of variation for productive and feeding traits. The future perspective is to approach the environmental sustainability of this production system by developing indicators able to consider the interaction between land use and carbon footprints of ‘north Italy’ beef meat.