The Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) is urging farmers to ensure they genotype or only purchase genotyped bulls if applying to the new Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme.
The €25 million scheme helps to support decision making on farms through better quality data on herd performance and to increase the economic and environmental efficiency of the beef from the dairy herd.
The scheme also helps to facilitate further the integration of the dairy and beef sectors by providing support for farmers who are rearing progeny from the dairy herd.
Breeding with high DBI index sires has established progeny performance benefits as measured by their Commercial Beef Value (CBV).
An action plan was also launched last month which contains 10 core themes, including knowledge transfer, breeding and improved animal health.
ICOS Marts chairman Sean Brosnan has reminded farmers potentially entering calves in the new Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme to read the terms and conditions carefully.
Brosnan said: “There is only one action required under the scheme. Applicants will be required to have calves born on the holding in the scheme year.
“These must be sired from a 3-, 4- or 5-star stock bull or from 3-, 4- or 5-star AI [artificial insemination] straws, or a mixture of both.
“All sires must be genotyped, with a minimum of a 3-star rating on the DBI [Dairy Beef Index] and the beef sub index within or across breed.”
Farmers who satisfy the scheme requirements will receive a payment of €20 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 50 calves per holding.
ICOS has said that the measure is welcome, to ensure the validity of the sire, but is a measure that all farmers need to be aware of as the breeding season approaches.
“This is important as many dairy farmers will use AI early in the season but will be relying on stock bulls, the majority of which will not yet be genotyped,” Brosnan continued.
“Farmers need to ensure to genotype or only purchase genotyped stock bulls if they intend on applying for this scheme.”