The clear view from the board of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) following its AGM on Thursday is that the ICBF will be advising farmers not to sign the Livestock Improvement Company (LIC) contract for purchasing semen in its current format.

This week, it was revealed that New Zealand-based breeding company LIC will be requiring farmers to sign a contract this spring before purchasing semen and if they don’t, they are not allowed to purchase semen.

The contract would preclude farmers selling LIC-bred animals to other AI companies for the purposes of producing semen for a period of five years.

Wexford farmer and ICBF chair Michael Doran said: “Signing the current contract goes against the principle of a national breeding programme where the best progeny are tested through the Gene Ireland programme.”

The move by LIC is a clear signal that it wants to hold on to the investment it has made in breeding in New Zealand and not let other companies piggyback on New Zealand genetics.

This development comes following a long period where New Zealand-bred semen has been used on some of the best Irish cows to breed top AI bulls.