Over 485 herds have now signed up the Dairy Gene Ireland Programme, taking a total of 17,470 straws to date, according to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).
The federation confirmed that there are still straws available to order.
The objective of the programme is to test 70 bulls each year and that each bull would have 100 heifer replacements recorded in 100 herds, by year four of the programme.
A spokesperson for the ICBF explained: “The dairy breeding programme is a key component of the Irish dairy industry with the aim of providing farmers with new genetics and increase the rate of genetic gain in EBI.”
“The programme is designed so that each participant will receive straws from a selection of high-EBI young sires.”
Straws are available in packs of 25, 35 and 50 at a cost of €8.50/unit. The young bulls are sourced from Irish farms and are all from high genetic merit sires and dams, according to ICBF.
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Video created and produced by: ICBF Irish Cattle Breeding Federation Youtube
