I purchase my replacement heifers at weanling stage as I like to ensure I have time to take necessary health precautions and have them ready for bulling in spring to calve at 24 months of age. What is the likelihood of four- and five-star heifers dropping in value when genotyped? Can I genotype these heifers between now and breeding so I do not have to go to the expense of putting them in-calf and then find they may not be eligible?

Herd-owners can expect some animals to move from being eligible (ie four or five stars on Replacement Index) as a weanling to being ineligible as a calved-in replacement heifer (less than four or five stars). Regardless of whether there was a BDGP scheme or not, this is a simple outcome of the €uro-Star evaluation process, as more performance data as well as genomic data gets added into the picture for each individual animal. What herd-owners really need to remember is that while some animals may go down, an equal and opposite number will come up across the national population. Therefore, they do not have to be overly concerned about this issue. It is a natural consequence of the €uro-Star evaluation process, and the fluctuations will balance themselves out over the six-year duration of the scheme. In terms of when the ICBF will have an operational system in place (for additional animals, including animals to be bred for the first time in 2016), we anticipate having this in place for spring 2016, ahead of the main breeding season.

When can farmers be expected to see €uro-Star replacement information available in mart sales? Who is covering the cost of mart display boards – marts or ICBF?

Farmers can expect to this data available in marts over the next 12 months, with the first of the marts likely to roll-out in next one to two months. At this stage the cost is being covered by ICBF and the relevant mart, although there may be some opportunity for some grant funding to help offset these costs.

Listen to key questions answered by livestock specialists Darren Carty and Nathan Tuffy in our podcast below:

Is it possible to print off a page or statement from ICBF to bring to a sale to prove, or highlight, four-star or five-star heifers (rated on Replacement Index) I am selling?

Yes. Herds participating in the BDGP and herds that are members of HerdPlus can log in to www.icbf.com (contact ICBF if you do not know your password). HerdPlus members can view animals in their €uro-Star profile (live listing of all animals). Herds that are not members of HerdPlus but are participating in BDGP can generate a BDGP €uro-Star report by clicking on reports, BDGP €uro-Star, generate new report. This report can be created as often as desired (especially useful if a herd has bought in new animals or has had calves born recently).

If a farmer purchases a four- or five-star animal that is subsequently genotyped and reduces in value to a one-, two- or three-star, can the Department of Agriculture or ICBF confirm that the purchasing farmer cannot contest the sale of the animal and return it?

No, he cannot contest the sale of the animal. He purchased the animal at a point in time with a given €uro-Star evaluation. That evaluation will change over time as more information becomes available on the animal and its relatives, such as genomic data, new performance records etc. While the recent BDGP reports have given farmers a picture of their four-and five-star animals, it is not until the next iteration of the reports (spring 2016) that the Department expects to be in a position to start to deem animals as eligible for the purpose of the scheme, ie that they have been genotyped and are four or five stars on the relevant index (as per the terms and conditions of the scheme).

If pedigree animals are already genotyped (hair follicle) on the farm, or before they arrive, do they have to be done again as part of the scheme?

Animals will only be genotyped once. Some breed societies take hair samples for parentage verification (micro satellite analysis). This is not genotyping. These animals will need to be sampled again.

I have always followed breeding recommendations and have a herd of good-quality cows that is ideal to breed replacements. I have not, however, joined the scheme as I cannot commit to the six years. Is it possible for me to pay to get my heifers genotyped?

While priority will be given to existing BDGP herds, the ICBF expects to be in a position to offer a service to all beef herds later in 2016. As part of that service, herd-owners will be able to select and pay for animals to be genotyped. At this stage, no price has been confirmed, but ICBF expects it to be higher than the €22/animal negotiated for BDGP herds.

What is the accuracy of genotyping and by how much is it likely to lift reliability levels?

The process of genotyping is very accurate, provided that a high-quality sample of DNA has been provided by the herd-owner. In terms of the increase in reliability, work undertaken by Teagasc and the ICBF has suggested an increase in reliability for the Replacement Index from the current 20% (based on just parent average data) to some 30% (based on parent average and genomic data). This will be during the initial roll-out of the indices (spring 2016). Thereafter, as more data and genotypes accumulate (over the six years of the programme), the ICBF expects the figure to increase from the current 20% to about 50%.

When are the first evaluations incorporating genotype information targeted for publication?

Spring 2016.

Most my cows are first-cross Limousin and Angus that I buy and bucket rear. They have no €uro-Star information and I am told this is because they have no sires recorded. Can I ring the owners and get the information or would genotyping these animals pick up the sires from any database?

You should try to find out the sire where possible. Many herds have one stock bull so in many cases the original breeder will be able to help. Any missing sires can be recorded online at www.icbf.com. Where this is not possible or the sire cannot be found, sires (in many cases) will be identified as a result of genotyping. Once the sire is added, animals will have €uro-Star rating.

If I get out of cows, can I meet the requirements of the scheme by buying in heifers and genotyping a new batch each year?

A herd is required to have 60% (of reference animals) to genotype every year. Where a herd does not have enough females to genotype each year, males will be selected. In 2018 (20%) and 2020 (50%), the herd must have the required number of females (over 16 months, genotyped and four- or five-star).

If I am buying a bull should I wait until he is genotyped or can I ask the farmer to genotype and wait to see that he qualifies? How long would it take for a result to come back on this?

Genomic evaluations will be made available to herd-owners in spring 2016, ahead of the main selling season for bulls. In scenarios where herd-owners are looking to buy a bull (or females) ahead of spring 2016, then they are advised to try and purchase animals with high indices (ie five stars on the relevant index) so as to give some leeway for a potential drop in the animal’s proof as more data accumulates over the next number of months.

Who will draw up a carbon navigator and will this cost me?

There will be no cost to the farmer for this. An adviser will help with this task. The Department will notify herds in 2016 of suitable advisers.

I tagged most of the animals identified for tagging but forgot to tag one weanling before sale. Will I be penalised for this error or can I take a sample from another animal?

The requirement of the scheme is to genotype 60% of your reference number. Herds must sample and return 60% each year. If animals are dead or sold when tagging, the herd-owner should contact ICBF on 1850 625 626 to order a sample kit for a replacement animal.

Bulls are considered for inclusion to the scheme on a within-breed or across-breed basis. I am told heifers are only considered on a within-breed basis. Is this the case and why?

Only purebred animals have within-breed stars. All animals have across-breed stars. Purebred animals (bulls or females) can qualify on the within-breed or across-breed stars. Commercial animals (cross-bred) qualify on across breed stars only. This is because they have no within-breed category on which to compare them, ie they are a consolidation of all beef breeds.

Do I need to sell one-, two- or three-star replacement heifers if I am in the scheme? Can I bring some lower-value replacements into the herd (or retain some lower star cows) as long as I reach overall targets?

No, herds do not need to sell lower star animals. If the herd wishes to breed replacements to meet the scheme requirements from lower star animals, they should use a high Replacement Index bull/AI. The targets are 20% in 2018 and 50% in 2020; as a result a herd can most certainly have lower star animals. Another option is to buy in high index replacement heifers before the target dates in 2018 and 2020.

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