The number of livestock marts displaying the new start ratings boards has shot up since the system was first introduced in August. There are now 68 boards in marts around the country. This represents around 77% of licensed livestock marts in Ireland.

A total of 32,267 animals have had their Euro-Star (beef) or EBI (dairy) figure evaluations displayed on the mart boards since they were rolled out earlier this year. The Irish Cattle and Breeding Federation (ICBF) says the installation of these mart boards is an ongoing process, so there will be more marts displaying figures in the future.

In order for animals to have figures displayed on the mart boards they must reside in a herd that is currently taking part in the Beef, Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) or a herd that is currently subscribed to ICBF’s subscription service HerdPlus.

For EBI they must have an index that is above average and for beef animals they must be either four or five stars.

The new boards are compulsory for all marts in Ireland as part of the BDGP and are part-funded by the Department of Agriculture. The part-funding was announced by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed in May this year, following persistent lobbying by Ireland’s mart organisation, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS).

Over 3,200 new HerdPlus members

In 2016 ICBF’s HerdPlus membership exceeded 23,000 dairy and beef herd members. This is a year-on-year increase of over 3,200 members. At 2015 year end there were 19,905 HerdPlus members. This figure currently stands at 23,185. These herd owners have access to a wide range of valuable breeding information, which can be used to breed more profitable animals.

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