A new Whole Pedigree Herd Recording programme aimed at improving the accuracy of data on breeding cattle is to start this autumn. The new scheme was announced by ICBF at a beef industry stakeholder meeting on Tuesday of this week. Pedigree cattle societies have reacted positively to the development and will lend their support to making it a success.

The planned start date is set for September 2016, according to industry sources. Its objective is to increase the level and accuracy of breeding information recorded on pedigree beef animals in Ireland.

Independent validation of information will be central to the success of the programme. Each herd will have an annual farm visit by an ICBF technician to weigh and score all pedigree animals in the herd.

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Where possible, visits will coincide with the winter housing period to reduce workload. Technicians will also concentrate on verifying insemination dates, calving records and calving surveys. Checks will also look for evidence of cross-fostering of beef calves onto dairy bred females.

Steering group

A steering group will be set up in the coming weeks to oversee progress and ensure the programme remains simple and practical, as well as delivering real benefits to the industry.

This group will consist of six to seven members and include representatives from the breed societies, ICBF, commercial breeders and a Department official.

Representatives of the breed societies commented that while each society has to inform its own council and members of the programme details, they very much welcome the initiative and feel it will deliver for both pedigree breeders and commercial suckler farmers.

They also said that genuine breeders have nothing to fear from participating in the scheme and everything to gain.

What’s in it for pedigree breeders? Breeders who participate in recording accurate data will be rewarded with heavy promotion of breeding bulls that have high levels of accurate performance information.

Special status

This includes special status branding on ICBF’s online bull finder database, as well as in breed society sale catalogues to inform potential buyers that breeding records have been independently verified.

In addition, only bulls bred in herds participating in the recording programme will be used and purchased for G€N€ Ir€land breeders.

What’s in it for commercial breeders? Purchasing genuine stock bulls that have accurate data on calving and liveweight gain recorded.

The cost of the programme will start from €150 and increase depending on the number of animals to be monitored and incurred by the pedigree breeder.