LIC Ireland is set to launch its spring AI catalogue in early February, featuring the latest pick of New Zealand genetics for the Irish market.
The LIC Ireland team are currently working on completing the catalogue, as they await EU clearance for some of the latest bulls available in New Zealand.
A recent review of European regulations on the disease testing of bulls has reduced the quarantine period to 30 days, dropping from 104 days, according to LIC.
These new bulls are currently carrying out their quarantine period at the LIC European collection centre and are expected to go into production at the end of January in order to arrive in Ireland Mid-March.
The company’s line-up will span across three teams, which are made up of Friesian, KiwiCross and Jersey.
LIC Ireland is also running a number of meetings, in conjunction with Eurogene, which are set to take place right across the country beginning yesterday, Tuesday, January 17, until Wednesday, January 25.
These meetings will allow farmers to check out the most up-to-date lineup of products on offer from both LIC Ireland and Eurogene for the year ahead.
There will also be a number of veterinary speakers present, including Jimmy Quinn and Dr Folke Rohrssen who will give a talk on the fertility challenges facing larger herds.
LIC is one of the oldest farming co-operatives in New Zealand, with a history of providing solutions to improve farmer prosperity since 1909.
The company has pioneered some of the biggest innovations that provide farmers with a competitive edge, including:
- The systematic testing of milk quality.
- Long-last liquid semen.
- Animal health and parentage testing.
- DNA testing technology.
- A short gestation bull team bred to deliver offspring up to 10 days early.
Today LIC products and services include dairy genetics, herd recording software, herd testing, DNA parentage verification, farm advisory services, integrated shed automation systems and milk testing sensors.