The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has published the active dairy bull list for 2024, detailing the top 75 bulls available for artificial insemination (AI) in Ireland.
The Economic Breeding Index (EBI) details of the top 75 bulls on the list are based on March 2024 genetic evaluations calculated by the ICBF.
Semen from all the bulls have been indicated as being available by the various AI companies, hence the term “active” bull list.
The criteria for bulls to make the list is as follows:
- EBI reliability greater than 35%;
- Calving difficulty reliability greater than or equal to 70%;
- At least 50 Irish calving records.
This year, there are 73 Irish-bred bulls on the list, which continues to be the highest number of Irish bred bulls that have ever been listed on the ICBF dairy active bull list.
Foreign sires dominated the active bull list in its early years. Over time, sires were increasingly sourced domestically.
The two bulls on the list that have not been sourced from Ireland both originated in New Zealand.
This year’s list is made up of 73 Holstein/Friesian bulls and two jersey crossbred bulls.
The 75 bulls have breeding values for EBI and the seven sub-indices, together with trait information on 10 key profit traits. All of the bulls are genotyped and none of them are carriers of genetic defects.
The 75 bulls on the list have EBIs that range from €375 down to €307.
69 of the bulls are genomically selected (GS) bulls. Four are daughter-proven in Ireland, while two are daughter-proven with foreign daughters.
57 of the bulls came through Gene Ireland. The full list is available on the ICBF website.
Dairy bull team
In a recent advice update ahead of breeding season, the ICBF said that selecting a large team of bulls, and using them equally on cows in the herd, is a “critical element” to help manage risk in a breeding programme.
According to the ICBF, analysis of AI sires shows that there is an “over reliance” on certain sires.
If a bull falls on the Economic Breeding Index (EBI), then its progeny could also be affected. Therefore, the ICBF said, using a team of bulls equally on cows and heifers “is vital” when breeding dairy replacements to maximise the rate of genetic gain.
With a larger team of bulls and equal usage of them, the risk of some bulls going up and some bulls going down evens out, and should provide a higher reliability for the overall bull team.