In light of recent changes to the active bull list, the ICBF has taken the unusual step of writing to more than 10,000 dairy farmers who use artificial insemination (AI) across Ireland.

The advisory note to farmers highlights the recent changes made and the benefits of using genomic sires as opposed to poor-quality stock bulls.

Now that all dairy AI proofs are being updated, the ICBF is advising farmers to rerun the ICBF’s dairy sire advice function for their herds.

Use a team

The note goes into more detail about using a team of genomic sires and using them equally across the herd.

“A single AI bull should never be used on more than 20% of your herd. Overuse of a single bull leaves your herd more vulnerable to EBI fluctuations,” the note to farmers states.

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