The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has urged farmers to post both DNA and BVD samples regularly to avoid any potential postage delays.

As calving continues across the country, over 10,000 more samples were received at the lab this last week when compared with the seven days prior.

Last week, a total of 40,729 calf samples were received, some 20,000 of these were received in one day, according to the ICBF.

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The average time from birth to the sample being received in the lab last week was 7.3 days, while the average time samples spent in the lab was 4.4 days.

The estimated average turnaround time from birth to passport being issued was 13.1 days last week, down from 14 days the week before.

Farmer complaints

Meanwhile, farmers have claimed samples that were sent for both the national genotyping programme (NGP) and the national BVD eradication programme have still not arrived at labs for processing up to three weeks after being posted.

Connemara farmer Noel Joyce is among those affected by the delays. The Sraith Salach farmer told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that he posted both NGP and BVD samples for four calves over three weeks ago, but the labs have not received them.