Analysis of stock bull DNA samples submitted in 2014 as part of the Beef Genomics Scheme, identified approximately 5% of sires (which would be in line with international benchmarks) with incorrect parentage data.

Letters have been circulated by the ICBF in the last week to inform owners that the sires of their stock bulls are not as they thought.

At the same time, breed societies have contacted breeders of these bulls to inform them of the situation and also seek further information to help in identifying the correct sire.

As stated above, the scale of incorrect sire data is relatively low, with sire details outstanding on about 400 bulls out of 20,000 bulls sampled.

The ICBF and breed societies are encouraging breeders to cooperate and return information as soon as possible in order to reach a quick resolution.

This is important for owners of stock bulls, with the breeding season kicking off in earnest in the coming weeks and with question marks in some cases about selection of replacement heifers or inbreeding risks.

Information being sought includes details of alternative animals, such as other stock bulls on-farm, for example, that could have sired the bull in question, or a hair sample (DNA) if the dam of the bull is still on-farm.

Breed societies and the ICBF will continue to work together and once any further information or sire clarification is available owners will be contacted.

Sean Coughlan, ICBF, stresses incorrect sire details will not affect current owners of stock bulls or their participation in the Beef Genomics Scheme and will not have any consequences with the Department of Agriculture in terms of sire details recorded in calf birth registrations.

There are a number of possible causes for incorrect sire details. For example, human error could have resulted in incorrect semen being inseminated during AI, a different stock bull or strong bull weanling may have gotten access to the dam and, unfortunately, in a small minority of cases, it may be that a breeder may have registered the sire’s details incorrectly to increase its sale attractiveness.