Dr Andrew Cromie, Technical Director, ICBF. “Growing Agriculture in an Uncertain Future”; The Role of ICBF and Genetics/Genomics. Dr Andrew Cromie, Technical Director, ICBF.

Overview of Talk. ICBF. EBI & Dairy Breeding Programs. €uro-Star Indexes & Beef Breeding Programs. ICBF HerdPlus – Example services. Focus areas for future. Weanling efficiency, GHG/Climate, DNA-based calf registration, Dairy Beef …… Questions.

Irish Cattle Breeding Federation. Established in 2000 as a co-op of 30 cattle breeding orgs. Farm orgs, AI comps, milk recording co-ops, herdbooks (shareholders) + DAFM. Operating budget of ~€7m/year. 50% “industry good” (govt & tag) & 50% “service income” (industry service fees & ICBF herdplus). An important balance between short and long term requirements (cattle breeding programs must be viewed as min 10 year investments). Based in Cork, staff of 70 => servicing 100k farmers.

MEMBERS, BOARD & SHARES - ICBF AI - 3 HB - 3 MR - 3 FO - 6 DAFF - 1 Board AI -18% MR - 18% HB - 18% FO - 46% Shares ICBF set up in 1998 xxxx ICBF’s members and owners are four groups of organisations: the artificial insemination co-operatives, the organisations providing milk recording services, the Herd Books, and the the Farm Organisations representing farmer interests. Xxxxx The Board of 16 includes one from DAFF, 3 from each of the AI, MR and HB groups and 6 from Farmer Organisations. Xxxx The shares are held in three groups of 18%, (AI, MR and HB) and 46% by the Farm Organisations. The stakeholders in cattle breeding control the decisions made by ICBF. Stakeholders in cattle breeding control decision making. Farmer owned & controlled

ICBF Database 30m animals with 100m+ records. 1m AI recs/yr Genetic Evaluation System AI Companies Teagasc Research 30m animals with 100m+ records. Knowledge Insems & Genetic Evaluations 700k MR recs/yr Data Schemes, e.g., BVD, BGDP, Origin Green Milk Recording ICBF Database Milk Production & Management Rpts Data for services 2.3 m birth recs/yr Herd Books Ped. Certs & Linears 100k farmers are now serviced from the database. Dairy & Beef Farmers Animal Events DAFF - AIM Calf reg & movements 2.3m BVD recs/yr 1.6 m carcass recs/yr Carcass data Health & disease data Slaughter Factories Vets & vet labs. Weight & price Genotypes Marts & auctioneers Bulk Tank Reports Genotypes & gen labs. 7.0 m movement records/yr Milk Co-ops Teagasc & ACA Advisors 500k genotype recs/yr

Sounds Easy. It wasn’t always like that! 1998

Where we started; Irish dairy herd 2000

Evolution of the EBI (2000–2017) The ideal Irish dairy cow; High milk solids (500 kg MS/cow/year) & excellent fertility (CI = 365 days).

Cumulative gain worth €1.5 bn across industry => 4 cpl Rate of genetic gain in EBI (€/lact) for dairy females born in Ireland between 1996-2018 2020. Next Gen Herd 2009. Establish Genomics; Rate of gain x2. Current rate gain=€25/year (0.3 GSD) 2005. Establish G€N€ IR€ 2002. Establish ICBF & EBI Cumulative gain worth €1.5 bn across industry => 4 cpl

Next Gen Herd – Economic Analysis. Trait Elite Herd National Ave EBI (€) 154 51 Replacement rate (%) 17% 27% Fat + Protein (kgs). 475 445 Milk returns (€) 220,594 204,301 Replacement Costs (€) 29,079 46,072 Net profit (€) 92,305 68,023 Teagasc Dairy Farm Systems Model. 110 cows, 40 hectares, grass based & base milk price of €29.5 cpl. EBI predicted €206 additional profit/lactation. Actual outcome was €220 ! (i.e., €92k – €68k per 110 cows)

University College Dublin – Dairy Research Herd. Trait High EBI Herd Herd EBI (€). 161 Milk yield (litres) 7,548 Fat + Protein (kgs). 602 Pregnant 1st service (%). 50 Final pregnancy rate (%) 85 Herd established with purchase of high EBI heifer calves from dairy farms based on genomic EBI in 2013. System; Grass-based, February calving but feeding 1.5 t conc/cow. High milk output with high EBI cows.

Impact; ICBF Active Bull List (Top 75 available AI bulls ranked on EBI). 10 years ago, all of the highest EBI bulls in Ireland were imported, now they are all Irish bred.

€uro-Star Replacement Index. Trait Goal Relative wt Calving Less 16% Feed Intake 18% Carcass wt (for age) More 21% Maternal milk Female fertility 23% Docility 4% The ideal Irish beef cow; A weaned calf every year of good weight & quality.

ICBF Spring Active Beef Bull List 2018 Bull Details Replacement Calving Milk Semen Rank Code Bull Name Breed Gene Ireland Index Rel % Stars Within Stars Across Calv Diff % Calv Recs Daughter Milk (kgs) Price Supplier 1 SA4059 Beguin SA No €252 59 5 1.6 83 121 15.8 72 €26 Munster,PG 2 SA2189 Ulsan €203 63 96 780 11.7 73 €10 Dovea 3 SI4383 Derreen Declan SI €192 54 3.2 74 69 12 49 €12 Dunmasc 4 ZAG Castleview Gazelle LM Yes €191 77 4.4 99 27072 0.9 76 SFL Du Stordeur Flaneur BB €183 5.1 10244 €15 Bova 6 VTA Vaillant €179 2.1 93 300 6.2 85 €14 7 ISL Islavale Cracker 11 €171 7.2 97 1148 8.6 86 8 SI2469 Lisnacrann Fifty Cent €170 57 893 12.7 50 9 SA2153 Highfield Odran €166 2.5 95 684 9.3 48 10 QCD Cloondroon Calling €161 82 6.8 98 1785 6.5 89 11 SA4060 Baron 3.5 68 17 10.3 €22 JSS Usse €160 52 3.9 78 79 7.9 €16 Eurogene 13 SI2152 Curaheen Earp €159 4.7 2183 10.5 14 VMO Voimo CH 64 5.4 151 7.6 75 €38 15 CH2218 Bivouac €155 4.1 90 258 70 16 XCD Clonagh Direct Debit 60 3.4 327 51 GEU Gordon Et Du Golard 9.5 260 6.4 18 SI4030 Auchorachan Wizard €153 9.1 34 17.9 62 €50 19 TSO Curaheen Tyson (Et) €150 5.7 552 94 Celtic Sires 20 LZR Lataster Eric 92 1702 5.6 21 SI2099 Kilbride Farm Escalop 13 €149 13.9 290 18.7 44 22 ZLL Lanigan Red Deep Canyon Et AA €146 2415 9.7 84 €30 23 KYA Cornamuckla Lord Hardy K222 €145 0.8 39775 3.6 24 ZEP Hawkley Red Zeppelin N659 €143 91 380 5.3 38 25 PZB Bonaparte €142 81 1284 1.1 26 DZJ Drumlegagh Dennis €141 87 244 6.3 27 AHC Auroch Deuter Pp €140 61 827 28 YFK Kilbride Farm Delboy 12 €138 10.6 805 58 29 OKH Keltic Handsome 66 6.1 4322 1.5 30 SI4083 Clonagh Frosty King Et €137 65 36 12.2 Range of breeds on Top Bull Listing => Focused on promoting these bulls within the relevant breeds. 50% of top bulls are still imported. Major focus of ICBF; To generate more genetic gain through G€N€ IR€LAND Breeding Program, e.g., ZAG.

Are we making Progress? => Beef Data & Genomics Program Validation Study. Large scale beef genomics project in Ireland. 1.4m beef animals genotyped to date. 24k farmers and 5500k cows involved. Funded as part of RDP. €90/cow for key actions completed. Goal to breed more profitable and carbon efficient beef cows. Initial results based on Teagasc-ICBF validation study indicate that 5 star cows are €136 more profitable per parity and produce 550 kg less CO2e in their lifetime. Breeding for profit & breeding for sustainability are effectively same. 5

Are we making progress? => YES. Trends from National data. * Based on data from 24k herds involved in Beef Data and Genomics Program. Past focus on terminal traits=> decline in maternal traits & no gain in replacement index. Beef genomics scheme introduced (2014), replacement index has turned around => Major gains in calves/cow/year and carcass traits. Clear evidence that commercial beef farmers are responding positively to new technologies such as €uro-Stars & beef genomics.

ICBF user pays service re: cattle breeding data => €150/year. 09/10/2019 ICBF user pays service re: cattle breeding data => €150/year. 27k subscribers.

ICBF Animal Search => 4 million individual searches in 2018. Step 1 Enter www.icbf.com into your internet address bar. The ICBF ‘Animal Search’ facility on the ICBF website (www.icbf.com) is where you can find out the most up-to-date €uro-Star/EBI figures Can now search Female animals Only Females in a HerdPlus/BDGP herd can be searched Indexes are updated three times per year; April, August & December. Step 2 Go to the ‘Animal Search’ and enter the tag number or AI Code of any animal and click ‘search’. That animal’s most up-to-date €uro-Star/EBI figures will then be shown. ICBF Animal Search => 4 million individual searches in 2018.

HerdPlus – Dairy Co-op

HerdPlus – Dairy Co-op.

HerdPlus – Beef Calving.

HerdPlus – Beef Calving.

Increasing €-Gain; Focus Areas. Weight recording & weanling efficiency. GHG & Climate Efficiency. DNA based calf registration. Dairy Beef Index.

Weanling efficiency. New Beef Environmental Efficiency program. 500k cows & calves to be weighed in 2019. €40/cow cost incurred payment.

GHG & Climate. For same meat or milk output, there still is a ~10-15% difference in GHG output between individual animals. Opportunity to breed even more climate efficient beef and dairy cows for the future. Major objective of new DAFM funded project with Teagasc.

DNA calf registration. Database predicts Sire Dam Sex Breed Very successful pilot project undertaken this Spring. 20 herds & 2000 calves. Further pilot planned for this Spring 2019. Output (by day 14) EU Registration Parentage Genomic Evaluation Major Genes Herdbook (optional). Quality Assurance.

Trends in Calf Birth Registrations (2010, 2014 & 2018) 40% more births from dairy herd (+ 414k) 72% more beef * dairy births (+ 275k). Increase in peak; 27% born in Feb 2010 (274k) versus 37% for Feb 2018 (538k) Dairy farmers want easy calving, short gestation bulls.

But this comes at a cost => beef traits. Reduction in carcass quality for dairy and dairy beef animals. Increase in “light carcasses” from cross-bred herds.

New Dairy Beef Index : Relative Emphasis AgTech – it’s in our DNA

Progeny Performance Comparison Bull Brd DBI (€) Gest (days) Dairy heifer cd (%) Dairy cow cd (%) Calf mort (%) Calf price (€) Carcwt (kg) Carc conf Carc fat Out of spec (%) Most used beef AI bulls in dairy herds KYA AA 85 279 5 2 3 188 302 O= 4- 47 RGZ 46 284 8 202 308 O+ 38 SPL HE 285 10 230 315 37 DBZ BB 18 7 304 350 R= 3= HE2043 9 195 291 50 Avg: 43 283 4 224 313 36 Top Dairy Beef Index AI bulls (Spring 2019) SFL 121 13 300 346 11 EBY LM 104 287 339 R- 3+ 16 BHU SA 93 286 264 349 ZLL 12 232 314 32 WZG 91 282 1 184 301 41 100 242 330 23 €57 AgTech – it’s in our DNA

Summary. ICBF is a “journey”. Challenging, developing, evolving……yet ultimately delivering. Benefits of having all stakeholders around the table. Genetics & genomics can deliver real outcomes for farmers & industry, even in uncertain times. We are always keen to work closely with “like minded” people/orgs in helping deliver these outcomes.