The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) says that on average, it is taking 12.5 days from birth to receiving the animal’s passport under the National Genotyping Programme (NGP).
The NGP is now in week seven of 2024, and ICBF says it is “progressing well”.
As of today (February 13), more than 66,000 animal passports have been issued via the programme.
In a statement, ICBF has said that on average, a sample spent 4.3 days in the lab as of last week.
Based on ICBF calf registration data up until February 9, there had been 175,089 calves registered on Irish farms – 142,521 are registered to dairy dams and 32,568 to beef dams.
Postage delays
The statement also noted a delay in the return of some passports to farmers, which ICBF says is due to postage delays.
ICBF stated that: “Postage delays are causing issues, with some samples arriving in the lab several days after posting, and similarly with animal passports arriving on farm.
“While this is not ideal, farmers are advised to continue posting samples at least twice weekly to reduce the total turnaround times for their herd, in the specific envelopes provided by their tag suppliers.”
In the programme’s information handbook, ICBF said that including postage, the whole process, from tagging to the issuing of animal passports can take on average 10 to 12 days.
Genotyping
The NGP is a collaborative initiative enabling Ireland to take the first step in achieving a fully genotyped national herd.
The programme is based on a cost-sharing model between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the beef and dairy industry and participating farmers.
The first year of the five-year programme (2023), with a budget of €23 million, will be funded entirely through the Brexit Adjustment Reserve.
The department’s total expenditure is set to rise to €43 million over the course of the programme, with industry and farmers expected to meet the rest of the cost.
It is expected that genotyping the national herd will provide a huge opportunity for both the dairy and beef industry accelerate in the rates of gain and enhance farm sustainability.