The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has announced that Dr. Andrew Cromie is to resign from his role as technical director.

He will formally leave the role on February 28.

In a statement, ICBF said that Dr. Cromie has been “a key member of the team for almost 25 years”.

“He has played an instrumental role in the growth and success of ICBF.”

During his time at the organisation, Dr. Cromie worked closely with Teagasc and the wider industry to help lead the establishment of the Economic Breeding Index (EBI), the beef Euro-Star indexes, and the Gene Ireland breeding programmes for Dairy, Beef, and Dairy Beef.

Commenting on his departure, Dr. Cromie thanked the company for the time he spent there, saying: “Cattle breeding in Ireland is in a fantastic place as a result of the establishment of ICBF and I would like to wish the company every continued success in the future.”

Seán Coughlan, the chief executive of ICBF, said: “We are very grateful for Andrew’s vision and leadership, and wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”

ICBF chairperson Michael Doran acknowledged Dr. Cromie’s contribution “in helping transform the Irish cattle breeding industry”.

“Andrew has played a key role in the building of ICBF and the skilled and dedicated team that underpins its on-going development,” Doran added.

The ICBF is a not-for-profit farmer-owned organisation established by the government and industry to coordinate livestock breeding in Ireland.

Its aim is to ensure that genetic improvement and genetic data infrastructure delivers environmental, economic, and social sustainability on farms across Ireland.

In November, the organisation launched a new carbon sub-index as a component of the EBI.

The new carbon sub-index will provide information on the carbon efficiency of a dairy animal. According to the ICBF, the sub-index is the first of its kind in the world and “highlights that Irish farmers are leading the way in terms of their commitment to climate action”.