Extra dam data will now be included on bovine passports – which will also be made available on mart display boards, it is understood.

The move, which will be implemented by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has been welcomed by the Irish Cooperative Organisation Society (ICOS).

Ray Doyle, livestock and environmental services executive of ICOS, said the move had been confirmed by the department, adding:

“This is very welcome measure following from representations that we made to the department last November.

The provision of additional dam data will greatly aid farmers buying calves and will promote adoption of the dairy beef index which in turn, will support improvement in the overall beef traits of the national dairy herd.

“The breeding index helps to identify the likely impact a sire or dam will have on the profitability of the next generation of animals and contributes to the achievement of additional economic benefits for farmers.

“The greater the availability of information, including the extra data on dams, then the better it is for farmers as they decide on their current and future stocking arrangements.

“We wish to thank the department for this development,” Doyle concluded.

The aim of the Bovine Animal Identification System is to guarantee the safety of beef and beef products by the operation of an effective animal identification and tracking system.

The system has four elements: tagging; bovine passport; on-farm bovine herd registers; and a computerised database.