Results for the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) for 2025 showed the society had a very successful year from a financial perspective, with income increasing by €3.6m to €27.25m and the surplus after taxation jumping 75% to €881,079.

The ICBF has previously said that while it is a not-for-profit organisation, it aims for a margin of around 2% per year to avoid making a loss. The society last made a loss in 2006, and now has retained earnings of €4.4m, the majority of which has been made in the last five years.

ICBF said that a record-breaking six million genotypes were recorded in its database and that participation in the National Genotyping Programme (NGP) remained strong during the year. Following a significant recruitment drive a further 3,700 herds joined the NGP in 2025.

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The society also continued to deliver national schemes on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, including the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Scheme (SCEP), the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme (DBWS) and the Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme.

Employment

Employment at ICBF rose to 108 people, with the majority of those working as fixed-term subcontractors. The wage bill topped €6.2m. The society received grants from the Department of Agriculture (DAFM) of €1.37m, in line with previous years.

It said that the leadership and ongoing Department support has been fundamental to ICBF’s success and that financial support through the cattle breeding infrastructure fund is now “delivering tangible benefits by enabling the development of an efficient, future-focused breeding infrastructure for the industry”.