Aberdeen Angus overtook the Friesian breed in terms of the most popular breed of calf registered in 2025.

The breed accounted for 623,063 head, or 27.3%, of the figure of 2.28m calves registered in 2025. Registrations to the breed increased by 45,841 head – or 8% when compared to 2024 figures, Department of Agriculture data shows.

The increase is being fuelled by greater use of sexed semen and beef genetics in dairy herds, with the number of birth registrations to Friesian genetics falling by over 96,000 head, or 15%.

The use of sexed semen is evident in the breakdown of 351,120 Friesian female birth registrations compared to 235,067 Friesian male registrations.

Use of Jersey sires plummeted, with 41% fewer births registered to the breed.

It is also likely that the number of calves registered to the Montbelliarde breed increased significantly, with the breed included in the respective breed registration table in its own right in 2025 at 4,238 head, but having no figures present in 2024.

In contrast, there were 5,047 birth registrations to the Blonde de’Aqutaine breed in 2024, but the breed was included under the ‘other’ category in 2025.

There were also notable increases in birth registrations to Hereford sires, with the number of such registrations increasing by 29,215 head, or 12%, to reach 275,425 head.

The recent increased use of Belgian Blue genetics in dairy breeding programmes was also evident with the figure of 83,611 birth registrations to the breed, increasing by 14,059 head or 20%.

The Wagyu breed is also making greater inroads in to breeding programmes, presumably fuelled by breeding initiatives aiming to grow numbers coming on stream. In contrast, birth registrations to continental sires including Limousin, Charolais and Simmental reduced.