The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has clarified farmer confusion after eligibility reports were published without displaying current €uro-Star values.

Some farmers feared that the reports were outdated, but an ICBF spokesperson explained that the reports were based on an animal’s first genomic valuation and not always their most recent €uro-Star rating.

“The reports are based on an animal’s first genomic evaluation at time of purchase for males and females,” the spokesperson said.

This standard is also in place for animals born on a farm and the ICBF is focusing on getting more female data back this year.

First publish

It is the first time that eligibility reports have been published and they're intended to help farmers meet BDGP targets.

Farmers in BDGP must make sure that 20% of their herd reference number is four or five stars by 18 October 2018 and must use a stockbull that has been genotyped as four or five stars by 30 June 2019.

This has caused some controversy among farmers buying and selling bulls, as €uro-Star values can fluctuate between each of the three evaluations every year.

This means a farmers can buy a genotyped four- or five-star bull, but the bull’s rating can then drop, and some buyers have returned to a previous bull’s owner asking for compensation for loss of livestock value.

However, a drop in stars will not affect animals' eligibility for the scheme, as long as it has been genotyped as four or five stars when entering the herd.

“Even if the animal’s stars drop, they’ll remain eligible for the scheme as long as they remain the herd. But if an animal is sold, then the drop in stars is reflected in the new herd,” the spokesman concluded.

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