Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) tissue tags have started to circulate to farmers as they are printed. The ICBF hope to have a high percentage of tags reaching farms in the last week of March and the first week of April. The timing is not ideal given that some farmers will be turning out animals once weather allows, while others have started to trade 2017-born progeny to meet demand from farmers purchasing for grass-based systems.

There has been reports in the last week that farmers cannot sell animals selected for genotyping before tags are received and samples are taken. The ICBF says this is not the case and that farmers can sell animals identified for genotype tagging if they need to do so.

The ICBF say: “We totally understand that farmers may need to sell animals that have been recently selected for genotyping and our systems allow for this. It is entirely the farmer’s decision if he decides to sell selected animals. Replacement animals will be selected with no difficulty at a later date. This can include animals that a farmer wishes to genotype of other 2017-born progeny or 2018-born progeny present on the farm. If farmers have any queries, they can contact ICBF on (023) 8832883.”