Cattle producers will be able to see various information on their herds when the user portal operated by Sustainable Ruminant Genetics (SRG) goes live on the first day of Balmoral Show (Wednesday 13 May).

Speaking at a meeting in Dungannon last Thursday, Hannah Martin from SRG explained that farmers will be able to access the portal from the SRG website (www.srgni.com), with login details the same as is used to get onto DAERA online services and NIFAIS.

Once onto the SRG portal, farmers can record information and view reports on the calving performance of their herd. They will also be able to sign up to get their herd genotyped (DNA sampled) via the portal.

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Under the scheme, farmers can start to genotype their breeding animals from 1 September 2026 and from 1 January 2027, all calves can be genotyped at birth. The department is subsidising the cost at £13 per sample.

With genotyping expected to cost around £11 and then £2 for the actual tag, it is effectively a fully funded scheme. Farmers will be charged once an eligible sample reaches a lab, with that cost reimbursed by DAERA at a later date.