1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. Where we started; Irish dairy herd 2000

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

9. Cumulative gain worth €1.5 bn across industry => 4 cpl
Rate of genetic gain in EBI (€/lact) for dairy females born in Ireland between
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

10. 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)

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. €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.

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. ICBF Animal Search => 4 million individual searches in 2018.
Step 1
Enter into your internet address bar.
The ICBF ‘Animal Search’ facility on the ICBF website ( 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.

19. HerdPlus – Dairy Co-op

20. HerdPlus – Dairy Co-op.

21. HerdPlus – Beef Calving.

22. HerdPlus – Beef Calving.

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

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

25. 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.

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

27. 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 (274k) versus 37% for Feb (538k)
Dairy farmers want easy calving, short gestation bulls.

28. 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.

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

30. 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

31. 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.