The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has announced that the first genetic evaluation of 2026 will be published on March 24.

The date for the first genetic evaluation of 2026 aims to "coincide with a significant upgrade to the organisation’s genetics infrastructure," according to the ICBF.

In confirming there will be no January 2026 genetic evaluation, the ICBF said it is undertaking "a major development project to work towards improved system efficiency, stability and long-term capacity".

ICBF said that the upgrade comes "in response to rapidly increasing data volumes and a growing dependence on genotyping information within the evaluation process".

During this upgrade period, the ICBF said that "there may be intermittent disruptions to services" but that it will "endeavour to continue releasing weekly updates on newly genotyped animals every Friday, where possible, to support continuity for farmers and industry stakeholders".

The ICBF said that genomic information allows for:

Earlier identification of high-potential animals;
Increased accuracy of breeding values, especially for young animals with limited performance records;
Accelerated genetic gain, thanks to shorter generation intervals;
Improved identification and correction of errors including parentage, sex and breed;
More informed breeding, mating, and herd management decisions;
Identification of major genes and traits of economic importance;
Enhanced traceability, enabling 'farm to fork' insights for genotyped animals.

The federation said its continuous innovation in genetic evaluations is central to supporting Ireland’s cattle sector.

These advancements help drive genetic improvement, strengthen national herd performance, and equip farmers to meet the evolving challenges of sustainable and efficient farming.

ICBF has said it now manages "one of the largest cattle genotype databases in the world, containing more than 6.2 million genotypes from Irish dairy and beef cattle".

It said that the National Genotyping Programme (NGP), has seen 1.1 million genotypes added in 2025 alone and that close to 42% of all calves born in 2025 were genotyped.