Suckler farmers will see their suckler herds’ new evaluations online from Tuesday, November 21, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has confirmed.
The cattle breeding database hosted a webinar this past week, in association with Teagasc, to explain the changes it had made to the terminal and replacement indexes.
It was outlined during the webinar that all suckler farmers will need to check their herd status.
Suckler farmers who are participating in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) will have to be particularly vigilant to the changes.
It was outlined in the webinar that as a result of the changes, approximately 5% of SCEP applicants “will have to react down the line to meet future SCEP targets”.
84% of the current four- and five-star animals are expected to retain their four- and five-star status after the changes.
The remaining animals which are four- and five-star animals will drop but “as many will rise as will fall in the replacement index”.
According to the ICBF, the changes to the indices will result in slightly lighter, but more fertile, cows.
It is expected to result in easier calving, shorter gestations and see less calf mortality.
The ICBF has also said the changes will result in improved bovine tuberculosis (TB) resistance, lower feed intakes and earlier finishing ages.
While some pedigree cattle breeders and suckler farmers are welcoming the changes, others remain rather wary of the changes which are set to be implemented later this month.
A look at the changes to the top 100 active AI bulls in the replacement index shows that the popular commercial suckler cow breeds such as the Limousin, Saler and Simmentals have fallen considerably while the number of Angus and Hereford bulls in this index has increased.