The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), along with its program partners, have recently launched the new Gene Ireland panel of high index beef bulls.
The panel has been assembled for autumn 2021 by the program partners. According to ICBF, the primary aim of the program is to progeny test high-index beef bulls, which will produce profitable cows for the suckler-beef industry.
The minimum criteria for a bull to be included on the panel is 5-stars across breed on the replacement index.
The breeding program is a joint initiative between:
- Pedigree breeders;
- Commercial farmers;
- Breed societies;
- Artificial insemination (AI) companies;
- The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM); and
- ICBF.
This year, a section dedicated to high Terminal Index bulls, which are selected to produce profitable animals for sale or slaughter, has been added.
The minimum criteria for a bull to be included in the Terminal section is 5-stars across breed on Terminal Index.
In order to avail of straws from the terminal bulls section, a herd-owner must order the same number of straws from the replacement section.
According to ICBF, the benefits include access to the highest-index, newest beef bulls in Irish AI, at only €5/straw (note: technician charges may apply).
Straws will be delivered to your own tank or the technician of your choosing and farmers will have the potential to sell progeny back to ICBF for future performance testing at the Tully Beef Test Centre.
Farmers can choose the bulls and breeds they require from the catalogue below:
CAP: What’s in it for a 20-cow suckler farmer?
In other suckler farming news, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has revealed details of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding allocations for agricultural schemes at a special conference at government buildings on Wednesday, October 20.
In this example, we take a farmer with 20 suckler cows, who was eligible for the previous Beef Data Genomics Programme (BDGP).
Previously, a farmer with 20 suckler cows in the last BDGP was receiving €90/cow on the first 10 cows, and €80 on all cows thereafter (the second 10 cows in this case).
This farmer, under the new BDGP or Suckler Cow Carbon Efficiency Scheme (the scheme has yet to be given an official name) will now receive €150 on their first 10 cows and €120 thereafter (the second 10 cows in this case).
So (stay with me), assuming this 20-cow suckler farmer was receiving €1,700 in their old BDGP payment, they will now be eligible for a payment of €2,700 – an extra €1,000.
Despite concerns that the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Sucklers (BEEP-S) – the scheme where you weigh the cow and calf – payment would be rolled into this scheme, Agriland understands this payment will be kept separate and will continue into the future.
The outgoing BDGP was set up to cater for approximately 400,000 cows and the ‘new BDGP’ (Suckler Cow Carbon Efficiency Scheme) is designed to cater for approximately 400,000 suckler cows also.
There will be no upper limit on the number of suckler cows a farmer can enter for this new scheme, however a reference year will be chosen.
Agriland understands the reference year has yet to be identified for the number of suckler cows in a farmer’s herd.