Bovine genetics project moves to next phase

With necessary structures in place and the vast majority of NI marts, meat plants and milk processors on board, significant progress has been made in the roll-out of a new bovine genetics project in NI. The project is being driven by Sustainable Ruminant Genetics (SRG), under the leadership of its chief executive, John Moore.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Moore confirmed that the project has moved into an implementation phase from 1 January 2025.

“We have been engaging across the supply chain and this engagement will be ramping up over the next period. It is important that everyone from farmers, livestock markets and processors are aware of what is being planned and we want to take on board everyone’s expectations and feedback,” he said.

Now over 14 months in post, much of that initial time period has been spent sorting out data sharing agreements and engaging with industry representatives.

A key initial part of the project has been to appoint a service provider to collate data, as well as build and manage a database of genetic and genomic information.

In January 2025, DAERA confirmed that a contract has been awarded to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) who will be working with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to deliver the data platform.

“ICBF are able to crunch the numbers. They also bring genetic expertise. We must learn from the ICBF journey in the Republic of Ireland, but in NI, SRG is the driving force behind the project and what will be delivered to farmers,” said Moore.

Data

The fundamental basis for the entire project is data and linking these data to the genetics (DNA) of individual animals. The more data points you have, the greater is the ability to say with confidence, that a particular sire will deliver a performance benefit over another.

As well as the genetic information already held by ICBF, there is a bank of data within NI, including NIFAIS and the Bovine Information System (BovIS), which is being integrated into a new database by ICBF.

On the dairy side, ICBF is working with AHDB to bring in data relating to the Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI), so there will be no change in what dairy farmers see in terms of breeding indexes for UK bulls. The ambition is to provide PLI for all dairy bred animals.

Adding to all that is mart data on weights and prices (p/kg), while meat plants will pass on data on weights and grades at slaughter. From milk processors, there is milk yield in herds, along with information on butterfat, protein and somatic cell count.

Link

The final piece of the jigsaw is then to link all this performance data to animal genetics. In the first year, DAERA has committed to subsidising the cost of genotyping both the NI breeding cattle herd and calves registered by farmers.

That process is likely to involve using an ear tag to take a tissue sample, which is then sent for DNA analysis. In subsequent years, participants in the scheme will then be expected to DNA sample newborn calves on an ongoing basis How this will be delivered, is still to be worked out.

Either way, the SRG-led project must provide information to farmers that can economically benefit their businesses.

Benefit

But for someone who already uses Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) to select beef bulls, or Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) when picking dairy sires, is there a real benefit to be had?

“We are going to introduce commercial data below all that. This is about enhancing the data we currently have,” said Moore. He uses the example of three dairy x calves he bought on his own farm, all of the same age, that were reared together right through to slaughter. At slaughter, there was a £300 difference between the top and bottom performer.

“If you know a calf has the genetic ability to grow faster and get into higher weights, you are going to pay more for it,” said Moore.

His vision is that within the next couple of years there will be an index displayed on mart boards, which will put a monetary value on the genetics of the animal on sale.

“Of course, there will be bad looking animals with good figures and vice versa – we can’t control how well individual animals are fed or managed. This is about transparency in the supply chain – informing buyers of which ones would be worth more and which ones would be worth less. If we have lots of underlying data, the right information will come through,” said Moore.

The main driver for the entire bovine genetics project is to help reduce carbon emissions from our livestock sector, so that means pinpointing those genetics that deliver good fertility, live calves at birth, fast growth, etc. However, there is also information on the likes of bovine TB resistance, which means there are real opportunities to breed cattle less likely to become infected, if exposed to TB.

In addition, Moore points to the potential from genotyping to identify lethal or unwanted genes that will result in abortions, calf mortality or other unwanted defects.

There is also the likes of myostatin found in various beef breeds that can increase muscling, but some of its disruptive variants can cause significant difficultly at calving.

“We will have the information so you would know not to put a particular bull to a particular cow as it will cause too much calving difficulty,” suggested Moore.

For many farmers it would also be useful to know whether certain genetics might be linked to other practical issues around calving, such as calf vigour, cow temperament, teat size and ease of sucking. However, to get that data will require farmers to record it on farm.

The current plan is that there will be a facility for farmers to easily input this data via an App and user portal.

“Personally, I think we will have to get the information. But that is down the line. We have to walk before we can run,” Moore added.

Labs needed to come on board

One of the next key tasks for SRG and DAERA, is to get labs in place to analyse ear tag samples for DNA, before the rollout of genotyping of all NI breeding cattle, expected in 2026.

“We will be undertaking a pre-market engagement exercise with labs this spring, to ensure they have the capacity to deliver our requirements. We hope to be approving labs this summer – we would like at least three or four to come forward,” confirmed Moore.

SRG working on new farmer portal

Within the next 12 months, SRG hopes to have a new portal up and running, where farmers can access information on their cattle herds. Initially, the plan is that the portal will have physical information on the likes of calving interval, but longer term it will include genomic evaluations.

“We are keen to keep everything simple and easy to use, however, providing education and training for farmers will be vital,” said Moore.