The level of interest in an animal’s background breeding has been on a rising trend since the introduction of the Economic Breeding Index (EBI) and more recently the Beef Eurostar Index.

The introduction of the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) in early 2015 brought about a sharp rise in interest levels due to the requirement for participants to have 20% of their scheme reference herd (number of cows calved in 2014 or number agreed on appeal with the Department of Agriculture) genotyped as four or five stars on the replacement index by 31 October 2018 and 50% of the herd by 31 October 2020.

Recording of sire data is a key aspect in an animal receiving a Eurostar value. Without sire data, it will be difficult for animals to realise a favourable index. They will generally only be capable of doing so after a few years of performance records (from the dam and progeny) are collated and evaluated. The number of suckler cow births with a sire recorded is positive, with 722,241 sire records from a total of 967,496 births (75% of all births).

In dairy herds, the number of Friesian births with a sire recorded is also positive. However, there is room for improvement in recording data in births from a beef sire and dairy dam.

From a total of 1,283,323 dairy cow births in 2015, 518,172 were to a beef sire. Of these, only 225,807 (44%) had a beef sire recorded. It is also worth pointing out at this stage that from the 120,000 extra dairy births in 2015, over 80,000 of these were Angus and Hereford sired.

Some dairy farmers are reported as having low levels of interest in recording beef sire data as they view it as delivering little return, while others face challenges where more than one stock bull may be run with the herd. However, where possible, there may be a premium to be gained from recording data, given that there is keen demand for animals with good physical attributes that also possess favourable replacement index values.

Suckler farmers looking to source potential replacement heifers from the dairy herd should be mindful of the low level of sire recording and enquire as to whether or not sire data is recorded.

The ICBF explains that some unknown sire information may be picked up through genotyping, but this is not always possible and animals may not therefore count towards meeting scheme targets.

Source of data

Data can be investigated from the seller if purchasing farm to farm. Obtaining information in purchases from agents or through marts will be harder and this is an obstacle the industry needs to overcome.

This does not only relate to calf sales – the same can be said of suckler and dairy-cross yearling maiden heifers, with many farmers looking to source replacements in the first quarter of 2015.

Discussions have taken place between the Department of Agriculture, mart organisations and the ICBF, with systems currently being trialled in a number of marts. A resolution needs to be found quickly to issues reported, such as who will fund new software and display boards to allow information to be disseminated. In the meantime, producers with heifers rated as four or five stars on the replacement index should make this known in sales. Data can be obtained through the ICBF via beef and dairy HerdPlus systems or by contacting query@icbf.com.