No progress has been reported in the dispute between the New Zealand breeding company Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) and representatives of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).

The dispute between the two relates to LIC looking for farmers to sign a legal contract for the use of LIC semen which was exclusively revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal in December.

The sides failed to agree a position for 2017 and another date has been put in the diary for further negotiations next week.

Last Friday, the board of ICBF agreed unanimously that contracts should not be part of the Irish landscape and farmer representatives on the board felt it impinged on farmer rights and ownership.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal following the ICBF board meeting, ICBF chair Michael Doran said: “There was a unanimous message from farmers and shareholders around the board table that no contracts should be signed because farmers own the cows and they should not be restricted on what they decide to do with their offspring.”

Eurogene/LIC sales representatives remain in limbo as they don’t know where they stand - they don’t have any LIC contracts to show farmers and yet farmers are ringing enquiring on availability of sires for 2017.

It is mainly Eurogene representatives and the LIC sales team that will be charged with collecting the legal contracts from farmers as soon as semen is delivered to farms.

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